


Web of Ice

by I_Otaku



Series: Mid 2000s movie AUs [5]
Category: Frozen (2013), The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: 2013 isn't technically mid2000s but here we are, Gen, Incest shippers dni, It's basically frozen but Starring Magic Brian as Elsa and Ren as Anna, No Incest, No Romance, Spider siblings, and frozen au, well uh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-09 18:10:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19481254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Otaku/pseuds/I_Otaku
Summary: Brionnre and Myrensi are the prince and princess of Loth respectively, and Brian spends his life desperately trying to avoid Ren. Because his powers have hurt her before. And Ren spends her time chasing after him, just as desperate for him to open up and let her help him. Once their parents pass, things only get messier.When the gates are open for Brian's coronation and Ren tries to push him just that final bit, things do end up changing. But is a seemingly eternal winter and exiled brother exactly what she wanted? Definitely not. It's up to Ren to save her brother and her kingdom.From the author that brought you Taako Bell, Angus McDonald Mystery Stories, and Legally Blondes- comes the frozen au I didn't even know I wanted until I started it today.





	1. Where it All Began

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Thanks for checking this out, lemme just explain myself if you're a fan of my past work. (If you're just here for the spider sibs go ahead and skip this) But yes! I said I was going to do Sky High next! But I still can't find a way to watch it. And in true M au fashion, this happened accidentally and I am unable to stop because god has cursed me for my hubris. I am very very attached to this au though, so hopefully this can tide you over until Sky High happens. And it helped break my block, at least for this. Not much is happening for my other works (I blame my new prescription) Still not sure on the ch count, but as usual I'll update it as soon as I know.

It's a cold desolate summer solstice night when Brionnre is born to the King and Queen of Loth. He is a small drow, deep purple skin and long twitching ears. He’s healthy, the midwife announces, he’s breathing and responsive. There’s only one slight concern. The Queen gasps as she sees her child, the King falters his own breath. Atop his head, Prince Brionnre is supposed to have black hair dark as the night sky and as thick as deer hide. But’s a mop of bright, icy white. His hair is short curls that look sharp and almost abrasive against his skin tone. And Queen Yurola takes him with just barely shaking hands. He nestles against her bosom just as normal, he breathes and he cries just like a normal infant. 

“A curse,” The midwife says blearily. “Healthy, but that-”

“A sign of magic,” Queen Yurola finishes. “We shall see.”

“We love him, we will find a way to save him.” King Braedwyn says.

Brionnre is three years old when his powers begin to manifest. His hands begin to stick to metal, he creates biting winds and clumps of snowflakes. He doesn’t understand, he listens to his mother and father as they take him to the rock troll court. His mother has started to show signs of another child, and although Brionnre does not truly understand, he is excited for a sibling. The morning sun casts through the trees of the forest, it bends around tree trunks to cast long shadows along the mossy floor. Everything is so green it hurts his eyes, but the sun makes up for it. The royal carriage is without a roof, so the sun casts warm beams down onto the family. Brian feels warm, in his many layers. It warms him in a way he cannot explain as well.

When they depart the carriage his father helps him down, a hand on his shoulder as they walk through the forest. He helps catch him when a root is too large, he tussles his son’s hair and keeps him from getting too scared. A few of the rock trolls stare at the group, and Brionnre stares back at a few of them, but eventually they reach a clearing where the elder sits on a throne. The elder talks long to the King and Queen, Brionnre is shooed away to sit on a stump. Eventually though, he confronts Brionnre who started drawing in the sun warmed dirt with a stick.

“You are blessed.” The rock troll nods.

“Cursed.” He mumbles back.

“ _ Blessed _ .” The elder says, walking over closer. He puts a hand up to the child’s cheek and the drow looks up. “You’re going to have a younger sister, and your blessing will do go to make sure you can protect her.”

“Why?”

“You were blessed? That I cannot tell you. But I can tell you how to deal with the magic,” He brings his hand down and scratches the side of his face. Brionnre looks at his stony face, worn and smoothed like the sea glass he found on the beaches. 

“Okay.”

The magic is temperamental, when he gets scared or happy it can act of its own volition, but sometimes even trying to manifest it can lead to nothing. The first time he knows he can cast on his own, with full intent, is the day his younger sister is born. He waits outside the birthing chamber with a nanny until his father collects him. She screams, he notices first and foremost. But when mother holds her, she quiets. She looks like mother, he notices. Her hair is small wefts of black on her purple skin, her face although tinted blue with blood is round and soft. His father lifts him under his armpits and up onto mother’s bed, he sits down until she smiles at him.

“Brionnre, come meet your sister.” She says. He nods, crawling up the bed to perch near his family, his sister notices his presence and waves a hand at him weakly. “Myrensi.”

“Hello Myrensi,” Brionnre breathes. “I’ll protect you.” 

She looks up at him, she blinks her eyes opens and smiles. It’s like Brionnre’s whole world dissolves, it’s just the two of them, just Myrensi and her wonderful innocence glee. He nods, and raises his hand. “Watch this-” He takes a deep breath, pinching his thumb and forefinger together. And without trying, without thinking, he makes a snowflake. It’s more so a pendant, large and thick and sturdy. He doesn’t hand it over to her, but he spins it in his fingers catching the low light of the chamber, shining magenta and purple. She lights up even more now, clapping and making a few guttural noises. 

Brionnre smiles too, he huffs half a laugh.

Brionnre is eight years old when he gets sick of ‘ _ Prince Brionnre _ ’ and decides to just go by Brian. His parents hate it, but he loves it. Myrensi, in support, decides to change her name too. Ren fits her much better. Ren totes along behind Brian, she holds his hand and smiles at all his silly jokes. They don’t take their royal training too seriously, but Brian at least pretends to speak with the royal tongue. He takes the accent of his father, Ren takes the southern charm of the servants. Ren is much more befitting the royal persona than he is though, she’s bubbly and excited and sweet and charming. Brian stumbles over his words but he sits still and nods at all the right times. (Ren breaks in and out of most of the castle rooms, she hangs around the servants and runs through the halls covered in dirt.)

His magic still doesn’t cooperate, but when he plays with Ren it isn’t scary. The King and the Queen are firm when he casts from temper tantrums, but he’s never scolded too much. He doesn’t understand why the reactions are never anger. They’re always fear. Mother and father are afraid when Brian uses magic, when he makes a snow storm rage above his own head. They aren’t upset with him, they’re scared. And that makes it harder. Brian realizes that maybe his magic is something to fear. He’s afraid too.

Ren makes it easier. Ren isn’t afraid of him, she smiles and laughs when Brian makes her hair flutter in the cold, jumps two feet in the air when he makes a fake clip earring on her ear made of ice. She gives warm hugs, they sneak out of their rooms to play snow day in the great hall. 

Ren climbs into Brian’s bed one night, tugging the blankets from his cold body. He shivers but sleepily rubs his eye.

“Ren,” He mumbles, sleep slurring his voice. 

“Come on Brian! I wanna play snow day!”

“It’s the middle of winter, there’s lotsa snow outside.” He smirks as he rolls over, burying his face in the pillow. Ren sighs loud and long, pulling on her brother’s hair. He jerks upright and brushes it down with a hand. “Hey!”

“I wanna- I wanna play!” Ren says, not apologizing in the slightest. “Do the- you can do the magic!” She grabs his hand and pulls him up, Brian slumps forward and lets his hair curtain his head.

“What makes you think I can do magic?” His voice is still thick with sleep but he glances over to Ren and his darkvision makes everything easier. She huffs, crossing her fat arms and puffing out her cheeks. She’s in one of her nightgowns, her favorite yellow sunflower patterned one. Her hair is a wild voluminous mess, her bob of black hair is sticking out every which way. She shakes her head, the cloud following her movement. 

“You- stop bullyin’ me!” She pulls at his hair again and apologizes briefly when he squawks in pain. “I- I wanna have fun. I wanna play with you!”

“Ach, Alright-” Brian smiles and pulls his long hair into a ponytail, “Go put on your booties. Meet me in the great hall.” And he’s glad Ren has dark vision too, the way she throws herself off his bed to scurry back to her room. He descends from his bed next, putting on a warm coat and draping his skates over the crook of his elbow. He pads down the dark hall, looking through the tall hall windows and at the starry sky. The moon is partially obstructed by clouds, the stars and galaxies swirl like chocolate powder in the hot cocoa the nannies make. It lights up the hall well enough, he has no trouble reaching the great hall. He pushes the door open, taking a deep breath as he scans down the chamber. It’s massive but empty, his tiny footsteps echo down the tile floor. After knowing no one will tattle on them, he starts having fun. The lets the tingle settle in his fingertips, the tip of his nose, of his ears. And although he doesn’t put on his skates he lets the cold slide down his legs, spreading across the floor in blooming crystalline snowflakes. It shines even in the low light of the hall, he sees his reflection as he starts sliding around, skating slow and easy while he waits.

Ren pushes the door open and Brian can hear her delighted gasp even from across the hall.

“Do- do the snow! Snowball fight!” Ren isn’t the most graceful on the ice, not like Brian is. But he skates over to her, and gives her a gentle noogie. 

“Say please!” He pulls his arms back, crossing them behind him.

“You’re not dad! An’ you already got his voice!” She sticks her tongue out at him, eyes screwed shut. 

“You’re a princess Ren, you should act like it.” And then he pulls his arm forward and smushes a soft snowball into Ren’s face. She screams in glee, pushing at Brian sending him sliding along the ice. Brian laughs too, and lets the breath of snow run down his arm creating two piles of snow, one of which he ducks behind. Ren waddles along the ice to drop behind her own pile and Brian hears her pelt snowballs into his cover as he puts on his skates.

“Come on  _ Brionnre _ !” She rolls both of the rs in his name and says it more like a long sigh, making him snort a laugh.

“Alright, you asked for it!” He gives his skate laces a final tug before shooting out from behind his fort. He goes wide around the hall, sliding between pillars as Ren pelts snowballs that (when he lets them) actually hit him. He chases the tingling in his fingers, in his laugh, he makes snowballs right back to throw at her. She just keeps laughing, and he keeps laughing, it’s so nice. It’s not scary, it’s fun, and freeing, and filled with love.

Brian makes snow hills for body sledding, they make snow angels and snowmen, Ren sticks her head in the snow and when clumps cling to her hair, she says they match. Brian whisks the snow from her hair and blows a raspberry at her.

Ren is running around with her endless energy, climbing up piles of snow to jump between them. Brian is sat in a crude throne he made of snow, legs kicked up over one of the armrests. He’s popped off his skates and pulling them back and forth along the ice. He’s every once in a blue moon raising certain parts of the snow, smiling even as his tired body starts to argue with his magic use. He’s not paying attention until he feels his eyes flutter shut, and then he remembers Ren. He bolts upright and she’s still playing, although she’s getting bolder.

“Come on Brian!” She cheers.

“Hold on- I’m tired Myrensi!” He shoots up a pillar of snow to catch her, the snow of his throne disappearing. He’s never had this happen before, he stumbles to his feet. 

“Ren!” She corrects, “More!” And she jumps again without looking, Brian casts again, and she jumps again and his hands shake-

“Ren!” He yells, seeing she’s nearly ten feet off the floor now. And he tries to catch her one final time, running forward. But he slides more than he was expecting, and he looks down to catch his footing and Ren’s shriek doesn’t necessarily sound like glee anymore and he looks up and she’s falling and he panics- He throws an arm up to cast and Ren is lower than he thought, the magic spills from his palm and shoots Ren right in the temple. She goes slack instantly, she crumples into a rag-doll and falls onto a pile of snow, rolling long ways. She rolls down out of Brian’s view and he screams, scrambling on the ice into the snow pile.

“ _Myrensi_!” He screams, shoving aside snow to see her. She’s still, laying on her side and when Brian grabs her arm she’s cold. “Mother! Father! Please! Somebody help us!” He yells as loud as he can, again and again as he pulls Ren into his lap. He wraps his arms around her, he rocks back and forth and clings to her, she’s cold. He looks down, her black bob has a streak of white, on the side he hit. He poisoned her.

The King and Queen come running into the room, and King Braedwyn quickly pulls Ren out of Brian’s grasp.

“What happened-  _ what happened _ ?” He yells, pushing Ren’s hair back and holding her face. She doesn’t respond, and Brian blinks through the tears falling from his eyes.

“I- I didn’t mean to- It was the magic!” He yells, shaking his fists at the sides of his head and feeling the tingling respond. 

“Magic,” Queen Yurola breathes- “We need to seek help,” She takes Ren and holds her tight. “The horses!”

And Brian nods along, he runs after his parents and his sister as they leave the great hall. He’s crying and not hiding it at all, but he keeps up as best he can running through the hallowed halls of the castle. They descend the grand staircase, the front doors are open and Loth lays out down the castle walls, across the bridge. Two horses are already reigned and being held, the servants don’t have to help either of his parents onto the horses. He waits a few breaths for one to help him (he’s too short to climb on his own) but when he looks down he sees he’s left a sharp ice trail behind him, spreading from his footsteps. No one wants to be near him. He scrubs one hand across his eyes as he climbs onto the back of father’s horse. The king leans down to heft him up, he puts Brian in his lap and the prince curls up against his chest. He feels the sharp tingles in his legs, he feels the cold radiating off him and he’s afraid and feeding it. 

The King and the Queen ride fast in the late hour, even with low light and the snowstorm billowing through the kingdom they rush on, Brian strains his ears to hear any signs from Ren. He glances over, her yellow sunflower nightgown is whipping in the cold wind. She isn’t moving. They find the path blocked by a downed tree and covered in feet of snow. The king swears before they have to turn heel and cross near the frozen bank where the ice is drawn.

They’ve never had to detour this far and Brian is getting hysterical, as they near the bank he sees the snow start to vibrate, he feels his muscles ache and his tingling eat up all of his arms, his whole head, he tunnels against his father and wheezes his breaths. He feels the wind turn sharper, it’s like knives against his exposed skin. And the ice workers notice, suddenly there’s screaming and when he opens his eyes the gentle snowfall is raging. He retreats back against his father, weeping and wheezing. The ice downstream starts to crack, it’s a thunderous roar of ice as the bank cracks, the sloshing of fast moving water. He hears a scream and flinches, before they can finally pass back away from the water- the panic- the ice- the worst of the cold.

They run through the forest, down a path that should be familiar and warm that instead leeches any remaining warmth from Brian’s bones. Shadows jump as they run, he can hear his ragged breaths and the loud rushing wind, the terrifying crystalizing ice behind the horse. He’s killed Ren. He’s killed his sister. His powers are terrible, and he’s a terrible person. He’s a monster.

When they dismount the trolls aren’t awake, but they quickly gather and part around the family, the elder approaches as fast as he can. Brian is still crying as he watches him approach. (His tears cling to his cheeks in the biting cold).

“What happened?” He’s curt, but respectful.

“Magic-”

“Her head.” Brian interrupts, “The streak.”

“It hit her head for sure, yes?” The elder waves Queen Yurola to kneel which she does, nodding. She keeps both of her hands on her daughter. Ren isn’t moving. The elder runs his hand across her forehead, and takes a deep breath. “You are lucky, Prince Brionnre. Had it frozen her heart, it would be far worse. This- this we can fix.

“Her head, can be persuaded. To fix her, we’ll need to remove any magic she may have. Any memory of it, for the magic is causing the damage.” He pressed a rock thumb against the center of her forehead, scrunching his face inward. And then Ren starts to glow, her purple skin goes brighter and her eyebrows twitch. “She won’t have any memory of the magic. You cannot tell her, at least not for many years. Any awakened memories before she matures can trigger this again. But she will be saved.”

And he pulls away, everyone is watching Ren. She takes a shaky breath, and Queen Yurola gathers her up closely, she begins to sob and Brian hurriedly scrubs at his own eyes.

“Prince Brionnre,” The elder takes him by the elbow, “Please you must calm down. It’s not safe for your magic-”

“I almost killed my sister!” He yells, clenching his fists to ignore the tingling that’s jumped to burning. 

“And you’re endangering the forest, your fear is bad. Fear leads to danger, it is your worst enemy.” He says taking Brian’s cheek in his hand. Brian nods weakly, crumpling to the snowy floor of the forest. The elder troll hums, and pulls the child close. From up on a small hill, a young elf watches the entire ceremony with rapt attention.

When Brian can catch his breath, the two return to the King and Queen. 

“She will rest, for more than a day if she was tired before this. Any more than three days and return here. But Prince Brionnre, you must learn to handle your magic, more than simple excursions to this forest.”

“We’ll figure it out-” King Braedwyn speaks, “We’ll deal with this.” 

And then Brian is being picked up by his armpits again, he’s gone limp from the stress and the magic. As much as he wants to fight it, curled up against his father’s chest Brian blacks out before they can reach the castle again. He awakens when they return, he falls from the King’s horse and follows behind the swarm of caregivers that appear to take care of Ren and the Queen. He follows until they return to Ren’s room, and firmly shut the door. He knocks, and he can hear them all talking but they don’t answer.

“Mother!” He calls, knocking again, “I want to see Ren!” He sways on his feet but he can’t rest, not until he knows Ren will really be okay. 

“Go away!” One of the nannies snaps.

“Please!” And then the door opens, and Brian stares up at his mother, her own face streaked with frozen tears as well.

“Brionnre you are not to see your sister until she has awoken, and you will not be anywhere near her unless you are able to control your curse.”

“I-I-”

“Will leave, at once!  _ Now _ !”

And Brian stumbles backwards, nodding weakly. He retreats to his room, where his bed is still dishevelled. Ren was in here, playing and laughing with him just this night. He climbs into bed, pulling the blanket up and over his head as tight as he can. He cannot sleep and he cannot rest. 

When the sun rises he runs down the hall back to Ren’s room, and drops down to sit just beside it. Nobody enters or exits, but when a servant passes down the hall Brian is quick to scurry away and watch until they’ve left. Then he’s right back to the door. It’s locked (He’s tried before) and all he can do is rest his head back against the wall. He’s not quite so afraid anymore, deep down he’s terrified but at the moment, all he can feel is relief. Ren will be okay. It was his fault but she’s alive. 

He attends lunch with his parents and bows, he uses his regal training to appear as remorseful and proper as he can. When he returns to his room he finds the gloves. They’re thick white gloves that go up his forearm, and putting them on he feels the tingle disappear. 

“Conceal, don’t feel.” His father says. “If you feel it, you’ll let the magic take control. You don’t feel the fear, bury it far far far away.”

“Conceal,” Brian echoes, “Don’t feel.”

“No fear.”

“No fear.”

He spends that night again outside Ren’s door. He falls asleep, waking to one of the servants approaching him with a broom, and he scampers back to his room to try and sleep. 

Close to dinner on the second day, a nanny bursts into the room where King Braedwyn and Brian are practicing the repression techniques. 

“She’s awake-” They say.

Both men are off running before they can say any more. 

His father reaches the room first and shuts the door in Brian’s face. Brian raises a hand to press it on the door, he leans forward and presses an ear to the wood next. 

“Mama? Papa?” Ren asks sleepily. She’s alive- she’s  _ alive _ .

“Yes baby, we’re right here.” Shuffling. 

“What happened?” 

Brian sucks in a breath, and steps away from the door. Right- now that she’s awake he can’t- he- His father opens the door, stepping out and closing it behind himself. “To your room.” He says. “You are not to see her until you both come of age.”

“But father-”

“No excuses! Do you want a repeat of what you've done? To. Your. Room.”

And Brian’s head lowers, he pulls tight on his white gloves and wilts back to his room. He closes the door, locking it and falling back against the wood. 

“Conceal, don’t feel. No fear.” He mumbles to himself. He squeezes his hands, he fights the tingling in his bones and rocks back and forth. “Conceal, don’t feel. No fear.” He keeps rocking, he misses dinner and misses Ren’s smile.

He chants it like a mantra, again and again and again until the words are nonsense and his rocking falls to laying on the floor curled in on himself.  _ “Conceal, don’t feel. No fear.” _


	2. A Brother Lost

Ren is six years old, seated with her back to Brian’s bedroom door. “And- and I thought it’d be funny to blow bubbles in my milk but you know how mama and papa can be-” She swings her head back and forth, patting hands against her skirt. “I miss you. Why are you hiding away?”

Ren is eight years old sitting with her left side pressed against the door. She has her ear to the wood, listening for any sign of Brian. The room is deathly silent.  “I wandered around today. Didn’t get very far. Why won’t they open the gate? I think winter is soon, can we go ice skating? I miss that. Remember when we would skate together? I wasn’t very good. I love you.”

Ren is covered in dirt from the garden and ten years old as she bangs on Brian’s door. “Let me in! I’ll get in trouble if they catch me- I-” A laugh interrupts her, “I snuck under one of the nannies and ran through the garden picking flowers and leaves. Here!” She gets down on one knee and smushes them under the crack in the door. It doesn’t necessarily work but she does it anyway. “They’re for you, I don’t think you can get outside. Ah! The nanny!” She jumps when an angry nanny does indeed round the corner, she runs away from Brian’s door hoping he enjoys the gifts.

Ren is twelve, nestled against the wall beside Brian’s door. She has a book in her lap, reading and listening. She hasn’t moved in nearly two hours, first too engrossed in her book but now she has a plan. If she waits then maybe she can see Brian leave his room, he only ever does when she’s gone away. She flips another page and swirls her white streak around her finger. For the first time in a long time, Ren hears movement inside the room. She closes her book and waits with bated breath, the doorknob starts to twist. 

A servant rounds the corner down the hall just as the door starts to leave its frame. 

“Princess! What are you doing?”

And the door slams shut. Ren pulls herself upright, dropping her book and banging on the door. 

“Brian! Brian! What did I do wrong? Please!”

When Ren cannot sit and talk, she writes letters. At first it’s strange to write letters to someone who lives in the same house as her but she still hasn’t seen him since they were little. She slides them under the door about once a week. Sometimes they’re short and curt, updates on family life. (She isn’t sure if he gets out and gets updates.) Other times they’re long rambling questions, desperate in this one sided conversation. She asks about him, why he’s gone, why they won’t open the gate, but she also tells him about her own secret excursions. She’ll tape small trinkets to the letters sometimes. Flower petals, coins from faraway lands, drawings or photos. She still sits with him when she can, but not nearly as long as she’d like.

When she is thirteen, her letters are messy but excited, detailing her official start to princess duties. Her handwriting starts to change as she’s taught manners and etiquette. The childish scrawl disappears into the cursive of the aristocracy. She writes him and still sits by his door talking.

Fourteen, the first time she hears about a trip to another kingdom for the summer. About her first friends, a boy and a girl she met when she snuck out. An elf and a human. About how she misses him. She disappears for months on end, presumably to this other kingdom. She slides letters under Brian’s door again after this break, but she doesn’t have the time to sit and talk to the walls. She’s starting to become a real princess, discussions with the commonwealth, lessons on economics and all. 

Fifteen, she sends more than a few letters wanting advice. She still sneaks out of the castle, but she just wants to help people. Make the kingdom better with the support of everyone. She wants him to help her change things. After a few months the letters stop coming. 

One comes the next year on Brian’s birthday. None others come. Then one again on his birthday. Both beautiful cards with a premade message. Not signed or sealed. 

Then nothing. Ren stops sending the letters. She grows up, listening to the royal discussions and political banter. She isn’t happy, aside from her own excursions to hang out with her ‘low-class’ friends. She’s alone. The castle is cold and bitter with empty halls and ballrooms that no longer hold balls. The great hall, once elegant is now derelict. The gate will never open and she will never see her brother again. Just before her nineteenth birthday, Ren sends King Braedwyn and Queen Yurola off to visit a neighboring kingdom on terms of peacekeeping. Brian is left in charge, but she sees them off. 

When the news reaches back to the castle, for the first time in many years Ren sits with her back against her big brothers door. 

“I know you’re in there. There- there was a shipwreck- please. I need to know you’re alive.” She’s rocking back and forth, eyes screwed shut trying to fight back her tears. “Please let me in Brian,  _ please _ .”

A few months after the passing, Ren sees the door open. She’s distracted though, because Brian isn’t just walking out of his room, he’s ushered into a palanquin and carried through the hall. He’s out and about now, but still locked away.

She’s instructed to sit in on financial meetings, as more of a leader than before. She also leaves the castle more often with only Brian’s punishment. That is to say guards are sent out to pick her up whenever he notices, but he never says anything and she doesn’t get punished. She pulls her hair up into pigtails and works with her commoner friends to properly represent them, to really know how the policies affect the people. She works at a small cafe, she tells jokes and laughs and pretends to be someone else, someone she wants to be. Magnus, a big rowdy human teen with a heart of gold is a natural help in blending in, he’s so charming and sweet especially after he transitions (First entirely on his own, before Ren told him she was the literal princess and wanted to help. Then they were quick to get things sorted and get Magnus right). He’s the regular home grown lumberjack- plaid and denim working at his woodsmith apprenticeship. And Lup is a fireball, wild dyed hair and raw beauty like uncut gemstones. She works odd jobs here and there, always quick to grift but just as quick to stand by her word. Ren helps afford her transition too, a little less fear but twice as much enthusiasm. 

And although Brian doesn’t say anything about her use of the money, she wishes he would. Hearing his voice at the first financial meeting is like a gut punch. It’s higher than she’s expecting, much more like their mothers- not their fathers. He has the accent of royalty, a voice cold and detached from the world. He doesn’t listen to her, he never responds to her ideas or suggestions. He doesn’t say her name. She wishes she could hate him. He’s still so distant, Ren doesn’t see his face- only the white of his gloves when he reaches out of the palanquin for food or drink. Even though he’s out,  _ he should be free _ \- he’s still locked away.

Ren stops walking by his door. She may never be able to help him live again, she doesn’t know what their parents did to him, or even how deep his grief runs. She leaves the castle and stays out for days on end, although royal guards always end up at Magnus’ doorstep. Magnus and Lup both fight for her, bless them, but Ren returns without much of a fight. Lup kisses her forehead and Magnus hugs her tight. Every time she leaves she abandons the warmth of family to the hallowed halls of royalty. 

Ren wakes up one morning, putting on her common garb and brushing her hair down. She sits at the mirror, running her hand down the white stripe at her right temple. One of the servants interrupts her though, an announcement.

“Princess, I come with news of your brother.”

“Yes, what’s the matter?” She turns on her bench, and waves for them to stand from their bow. 

“Tomorrow your brother will officially have come of age. He will hold a coronation and become the new King of Loth.” They bow again, and disappear back out the door. Ren watches before turning to the window wordlessly. The summer sun is beating down hard, the breeze is small and the clouds move slowly across the blue sky. Right. Brian’s birthday is the summer solstice, it’s hard to remember with how little she sees him. She remembers one of his early birthdays, running down on the beaches of Loth screaming with laughter, feeling the sun on their dark skin, the seasalt breeze stick to their hair. She looks up at the sun, one hand on the windowsill and takes a deep breath. 

“King Brionnre, huh?” She whispers. And she loiters in her room for a few minutes. She tidies her space so the maids won’t have to, she packs a bag that she slings over her shoulder. Then, she pulls her hair up and dons a thin cloak. 

The gates are still supposed to be closed so it’s not easy to get out, but she isn’t particularly stopped. She leaves the servants quarters and drops down one of the shorter ledges to catch her breath and wipe debris from her shirt. Then, taking one of the gondolas and crossing the smallest part of Sundusk bay to the mainland. It’s tiring and wears out her arms, but she’s learned to do it quick and not get caught, she rows to the empty side of the docks and climbs out. Ren walks through the back streets hiding in shadows to keep herself from getting overheated, although the celebratory music and wonderful smelling street food tempts her very well. She walks a path she knows in her bones, and hears her friends wrestling before she can even see them. Rounding the corner to the Davy Lamp she smiles, Lup in half perched on Magnus’ shoulder, with her arms around his neck in a headlock. Magnus is holding her with one arm and trying to grab her legs with the other, but both pause as Ren approaches, a laugh dancing across her features.

“Can’t leave you two unattended for a day.” She says, pulling her hood down.

“Heya Ren!” Magnus smiles, dropping Lup quite literally and walking over to give her a hug. Ren hugs him back, relishing the soft muscle and height difference. Magnus does pull at his tank top afterwards though, Ren rolls her eyes. “It’s so hot!” He whines, “I get sticky.”

Lup pushes herself up from the ground, wiping off her own tank top and exposed legs. “We all do Maggie, geez babe let’s get you into something more- well-  _ befitting _ the heat.” She pulls at Ren’s cloak and she relinquishes it. “Alright, good it’s you. Wasn’t sure till I saw that good ol’ skunk stripe.”

“That’s our Ren!” Magnus cheers, wrapping his arms back around Ren and lifting her into the air. Ren laughs and pitches forward, both of her hands on Magnus’ shoulders. 

“Magnus!”

“Magnus!” He yells back, setting her back on the pavement. Again Magnus pulls at his shirt and shorts sticking to his skin.

"So lay it on us, what's up?"

“Oh- oh right. I wanted to talk to you two about the coronation tomorrow,” Ren says, dusting off her skirt. 

“Yeah, your brother’s gonna be king. How you feel about that?" Lup folds and drapes the cloak over Ren's bag.

"Okay, I guess? I don't know if it'll be good or bad." 

"For us, or him?" Magnus pops a hand on his hip and uses his other to trace some of his scars idly.

"Or you?" Lup takes Ren's hand and starts pulling her into the Davy Lamp.

"Y… yes?" Ren laughs nervously.

Magnus nods, and takes the back of the party, pushing Ren into the cafe. "Time to talk about our feelings!"

Ren sits with her head on Lup's shoulder, swirling her drink and speaking. "I love him, he's my brother. But I just- he won't listen to me." 

"Ren you don't have to love him just 'cause he's your brother," Magnus takes a long swig of his water and points the mug at her. "He's been shitty to you, you don't have to forgive him." 

Lup cards her fingers through Ren's hair, redoing the messy pigtails. "Maggie's right. Don't gotta give him anything, it's not your job to fix 'im." 

Ren sighs, "I know. And I tried hating him, I couldn't do it. I want to help him, it hasn't been easy since the wreck." 

"Well, if you want to work on rebuilding that relationship, we'll be at the coronation tomorrow." Lup says, finishing one and gathering the other side of hair.

"We will!" Magnus smiles, "It's gonna be weird to see him, Brionnre."

"Brian." Ren laughs.

"Wait seriously? You never-"

"When we were little he got sick of Brionnre. I mean, he might go by it now but in my heart he's Brian." 

"We're just humble commoner folk, best we respect our blessed king and the royal bloodline-" Lup says elaborately, finishing the pigtail just in time for Ren to elbow her in the gut. "Hey!"

"You deserved it." 

"You did Lup." Magnus nods sagely. "But anyway- it's still gonna be weird to see him. You've lived with him your entire life and you can count the times you remember on one hand!" 

"Yeah, I haven't seen him and then tomorrow the whole kingdom is going to. It is gonna be really weird, huh?" She drinks more water and the others lift their drinks.

"Hear hear." They say before drinking. Ren bursts into laughter that the others mimic, and she wipes sweat from her brow. They spend the afternoon drinking and talking, until a guard shows up close to dinner. 

"It's okay guys." Ren says standing. The drow guards don't take well to the human and elf, but Ren gives them both hugs goodbye. "Tomorrow." 

"Tomorrow."

That next morning Ren is up as soon as she can be. She throws on her fancy dress and her favorite undershorts, and runs out of her room. Today she's going to see her brother, whether he wants to or not.

Brian wakes that morning in his room, he lays still for many moments watching the warm summer sun shine in his room. It catches on the ice floor, the snowflakes hanging from ice threads and spinning in the wind. When he sits up, his back aches and he rubs a hand across his eyes. He scans the room weakly, seeing his fanciful robes on the mannequin. When he gets up, he walks straight past it to the small dresser tucked away in the corner. He pulls a drawer open and leafs quickly through an organized collection of papers. His fingers stop on one, a colored piece of construction paper that he lifts and smiles softly at. 

_ Happy Birtday big brother! Your getting old and stinky but i love you! _

And he takes a few deep breaths, shutting his eyes and fluttering his eyelids to keep tears from falling. Today, things are going to change. Is it safe? If he's careful. He pulls on the skin tight gloves and mumbles to himself. He can't let anything happen to Ren.

The coronation is nearing, and Ren scarfs down breakfast before wandering the castle halls. She sees the tail end of Brian's jobs, his final fitting, his final rehearsal, food break. But for every step she gets towards him, towards seeing him, he's always one step ahead. Until she looks out one of the castles front windows, and sees people starting to gather at the raised bridge. The day is happening sooner than she thought.

Ren tries to chase Brian down one final time and get only manages to get caught by some of the servants taking care of him. She's poked and prodded and scolded for her dress, her lack of makeup, for everything. She's ushered to her own room, strapped into some stuffy dress and her hair horribly done up. They use some makeup to cover the streak in her hair and smear some makeup on her face- none of it fits her. But she lets them, because if they're doing all of this then they'll take her to Brian. Only they don't! As the more social of the two Ren is sacrificed to the gate opening and welcoming the visitors. She hears Brian ordering the gate open above where she stands, and she struggles to breathe in the weird corset they've put her in. But then the gate comes down, and nothing else matters. 

The wood of the drawbridge sinks down to meet the stone bridge and she's not alone anymore. A few nobles approach first, a wall of guards preventing the commoners to enter and Ren grinds her teeth through the snotty rich ones. Some she hits it off with, welcoming them to Loth and the castle. She thinks she sweats off the makeup by the time the normal people are let in, and Magnus (being as tall and broad as he is) isn't hard to spot. She does laugh at his expression when they meet eyes though. He pushes through some of the crowd, dragging Lup by her wrist to stand with Ren. 

Lup hisses a breath and Magnus physically winces seeing her up close.

"That bad?" Ren fans herself with a hand and Lup nods. 

"Worse. Here-" And she and Magnus move quickly. Magnus says what he's going to do and Ren nods along, he tears apart her corset to let the fat at her stomach breathe. Then the sleeves of the dress, he flicks out his knife and quickly spilts the seam of the long sleeves at the poof shoulder. They come off and he drops to a knee while Lup licks her hands. Ren makes a faux-gross noise as Lup scrubs most of the makeup off, removing the traditional dark eyeshadow and pulling out a napkin to wipe off the lipstick. Then she wipes her hands and goes at Ren's hair, she cleans the streak and styles it back down in her bob. Magnus stands, taking the long sleeves and long strip Ren realizes is the train of her dress in his arms. Lup tosses the dirty napkin and he catches it, before opening some barrel in the busy courtyard and dumping the trash in there. He shuts the lid and returns, both women laughing.

"Needed that skunk stripe." Lup nods.

"I certainly feel better," Ren spins on one foot, "My arms and stomach thank you." 

"God I have enough trouble, I can't imagine." Lup props an arm up on Magnus' arm, leaning dramatically as he doesn't even seem to notice. 

"You see Brian?" Magnus asks, fixing his ponytail. "He welcomed everyone to the party in the courtyard."

"No, I didn't." Ren says, "I got stuck down here on welcoming duty." 

"Well the coronation's in a few hours, right? We're here, let's have fun. Wanna show us around?" 

"Sure, my favorite is the great hall. There should be food there too-"

"Ooh," Both of her companions hum. 

"Yeah, yeah."

As Ren takes her friends through the halls, she realizes they're not quite so big, they're not so empty. Magnus gasps at all the paintings, Lup arm wrestles suits of armour. Ren laughs, she laughs loud and long through the castle. Magnus is holding her hand, turning this way and that when Lup returns from one of the bathrooms. 

"He, we should get going. Big time soon," She looks around, "we're not lost are we?"

"Are we?" Ren smiles.

"She won't lead us back!" Magnus whines. 

"Alright miss Richie Rich, take us back. You don't wanna miss the big hour." 

"Oh alright you. It'll be quicker if we go this way instead of back to the courtyard." And she pulls Magnus along, Lup taking the tail. When she approaches the royal chamber she's never seen the door open, she falters and releases Magnus' hand.

"We've got you." Magnus nudges her, and Ren approaches the crowd of people. They part around her, and she moves towards the doors. 

"Welcome Princess Myrensi-" The guard parts the other two at the door and Ren wanders in. There are more people in seats close together, an aisle down the middle and an altarpiece at the end. She pauses when she turns around expecting Magnus, to instead meet a strange elf she doesn't know. He scoffs and passes by, taking a seat. She tries to look over the small stream of people but one of the servants takes her wrist and leads her to a seat. It's not in the front row, it's nowhere near the altar. 

"Wait- I have friends- I have company-" 

"The Prince has a specific list of those to view the coronation." And then they're gone, and Ren furrows her brow. She wants to argue, but as she opens her mouth the room falls deathly silent. She looks around, the tabaxi she's seated next to nudges her gently and points to the rear of the room. Two ornamental doors open to reveal the figure to bless her brother, an older drow with a fanciful headpiece who walks down the altar to place two objects on it. Then, her brother. 

And before Ren can scan his features, see their father's eyes and sharply slanted face, or their mother's high cheekbones, or even the bright white hair she forgot about- Ren can only see that Brian is terrified. His hands are gripped into tight fists and his arms are shaking. His face is schooled into calm, although his eyebrows twitch. His eyes are staring pensively ahead, he looks like he wants to run and burst into tears. 

He steps down the aisle, long traditional robe trailing behind him. His hair is long, nearly reaching his lower back and braided back away from his face with baubles and gems. He approaches and stands before the elder. Ren watches him. The way he breathes quick and shallow, keeps his hands bolstered to his sides until the last possible moment. The way he raises his arms, before hesitating. He pulls off his gloves and slowly takes the artifacts. And he's still so afraid as he turns back to the audience, the elder announces a few things and Ren just wants to tell him to shut up and pull Brian down into a hug. His hands shake and he stares at them, before the elder declares him King Brionnre of Loth and he nearly throws the artifacts back down on the altar. 

Then there's clapping and Ren does it too, more confused than anything else. Brian smiles, pulling on his gloves, and he invites everyone to the dinner and ball to be held in the great hall. Ren (being as short as she is) is practically lost in the sea of people as everybody tries to leave at once. She can't do anything but ride the wave of aristocrats to the door. She stumbles over the lip exiting the room and Lup manages to catch her. 

"Hey, hey there. You alright?" 

"I- I don't know." She says, taking Lup's hand tight. "I saw him." 

"Here, let's go calm down." Lup tugs her away, and Ren follows. They take to one of the long abandoned smoking rooms, Ren sits on the loveseat and Lup drops next to her. 

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I feel like I don't know him anymore. He's- he's different." 

"People change. He's still your brother down in there somewhere." She leans forward, rubbing Ren's shoulder.

"I don't know what happened, what if I mess up- or- or something happens and he hides again- what if he doesn't wanna to see me? What if he hates me?" 

"Hey- hey now." Lup's voice goes soft. 

"I don't want to lose him too Lup- but what if I already did?" Tears drip down her cheeks, and Ren buries her face in her hands. 

She shushes her, Lup pulls Ren into a hug and holds her close. "It's gonna be okay. You know how I know?"

Ren whimpers against Lup's shirt.

"Because you're both still here." She says, rocking back and forth gently. "You may not know how long you have but you have right now."

Ren sniffles, pulling away from Lup's embrace and scrubbing her face. "Did-" She coughs on a sob and takes a few deep breaths. "Sorry. Did you lose someone? Lup I'm sorry-" 

"Hey, hey. It's okay- It's- I don't normally like to talk about it." Lup says. "But I had a brother. A twin." 

"Oh." Ren says quietly, making Lup laugh. 

"We were pretty wild. Worked any job we could get. There was an accident out in the winter when we were working with an ice company." She says. Her voice is raw and soft and Ren nods. 

"I'm sure he'd be a wonderful person." 

"Nah, Taako'd be an asshole," She laughs and blinks, sitting up on the loveseat. "Sorry, this got all about me. Long story short, you're both still here. You don't know how much time you have, but you're still together." 

"I can’t give up." Ren nods, taking a few deep breaths. "So what do I do?"

"Just tell him you're there for him, that you won't let him suffer alone any more." 

"Right- right. You're real smart sometimes."

"Sometimes?!"

"Can we still wait a few minutes?" 

"Sure thing."

Lup changes into her gown, a simple red patterned number that makes her look beautiful. They make their way into the great hall hand in hand, Lup leads them around the edge of the room to the tables of food. It doesn't take them long to find Magnus in some sort of sleeveless tuxedo and Ren laughs weakly. 

"Hey, glad you guys are okay! Sad they kicked us out for the actual shit but I came here and got all the good snacks. Hungry?" He lowers a plate to Ren and she takes a mini desert from it, popping it in her mouth. 

"Thanks- and yeah it was pretty small. I think from the view of this place though it was less crowded." 

"Yeah- I'm not doin' too hot to be honest, I'll be off near the edges." Lup pats her arm and disappears. Ren watches with a tight smile.

"We can find her later."

"We talked about some heavy stuff, she might wanna leave early." Ren takes a glass of water and sips it. The band at the far end of the hall is playing some elaborate tune that's flowery and perfect for people who think they know how to dance. Magnus and Ren watch for a while, until Ren notices a familiar figure standing at the head of the room, arms crossed. 

"There's- I'm gonna go talk to Brian," She says, setting down her plate and heading through the crowd. She mumbles apologies and excuses as she elbows forward, when she breaks through the crowd near the king she pauses. He's standing there, hands folded behind his back and face perfectly neutral. 

"Brian-" She breathes, slowly approaching. 

He turns to her, and Ren again sees that wave of terrible fear wash over him for a few seconds. Then he's calm, his smile is too wide to be true and his eyes crinkle too much. "Ah, hello dear sister. How are you enjoying the party?" He nods towards the dancing instead of gesturing with his hand. 

"It's- it's fine." She says. She takes a few hesitant steps up closer to him, and he turns back to the guests. "I'm more interested in seeing you, it's been years Brian."

He bristles at the name, although he huffs a breath through his nose. It's their father's nose, long and hooked to perfectly balance his face. 

"It had to be done," He looks like he wants to say more and he swallows it. 

"What do you mean?" Ren gets closer, balling her hands in her dress. 

"Myrensi, it had to be done." 

"Ren." She corrects."I chose it with you." 

"Right." Brian says, still not looking at her. He's sweating bullets in his robes, and Ren can't find it in herself to care. Neither of them talk much, they stand and watch the guests spin and twirl. Ren stands near him and spends just as much time pretending not to watch him as she does just straight up staring.

"Your dress is beautiful." He nods again. 

Ren looks down and chuckles. "Sorry about the heirloom, but this is much more me." 

"You could use a brooch." He says. "Or a patterned bag. Sunflowers." He starts blinking frequently as Ren looks back up. 

"Are you gonna cry?" She's within arms reach now and Brian takes a step back. 

"Please stay back." 

"Brian what's wrong? You're tryin' to act like everything is fine but it ain't."

"Isn't," Brian laughs. "You picked up the southern accent of your favorite sitter, I forgot." And tears are welling in his eyes now, he's backing away from the center of the room. 

"Wait, Brian-" Ren moves after him and he takes off in a flurry of fabric to the exit. Ren follows him, grabbing the door before he can shut it. "Brian!" She follows him down the adjacent hall, to the balcony overlooking Sundusk bay. He throws the door open and runs onto the stone. Ren follows, gasping in the hot night air. 

"Leave me alone Ren." He's cowering away from her, hands clenched together tight. 

"Brian, please you gotta talk to me. I'm sorry- I'm sorry for whatever I did."

"You- You didn't do anything!" He snaps, and Ren takes a deep breath of cold air.

"Then what happened? Why are you so afraid of me?" 

"I'm not afraid of you, alright?!" His fancy royal accent is gone, he's cowering on the balcony and hunching over himself. "I'm a monster!" 

"No you're not, you deserve love." Ren lowers her voice now, and drops to her knees.

Brian watches her, tears falling down his cheeks. "You still sneak out of the castle, just like when you were little." He says quietly, and Ren nods. She rubs her arms against the cold wind that passes by the balcony, and she just keeps nodding.

"What about you? I don't remember hardly anything about you aside from skating in the winter." 

He laughs, before frowning. "Do-do you not remember anything else about me?"

"It's been years Brian," Ren says, "I haven't seen your face in almost fourteen years."

"Right." He looks down at his gloves and balls his hands into fists.

"You can talk to me. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere." She stands up and brushes back hair from her face. Brian watches her, his eyes stop on her white stripe.

"Ren I'm sorry but you really should go."

"And I already told you, I'm not goin' anywhere without you." She moves towards him like a cornered animal, and he reacts just the same way. He backs himself against the ledge overlooking Sundusk Bay and she keeps moving closer. 

"We can get through this together, please-" She doesn't know if she's doing this for him or for herself, she needs to hold him knowing he's alive- "please I can't be alone anymore you're all I have left." Her voice breaks and Brian is panicking again.

"Get back!" He yells, hair rushing forward around his head in a wind. 

"Please just stop hiding!" She surges that final step and grabs his hand, she tries to pull him back inside to only pull off his white glove. He shrieks like he's been stabbed, and for a few moments Ren sees white. 

"I said stay  _ back _ !" 

Then she's blinking her eyes open and seated against the far wall of the inside room. Her back and neck hurt (she's got dark spots in her vision) and when she looks up she sees why. Huge ice chunks have formed where she was standing, but at an angle to shoot her back. Brian stands on the balcony watching her with frozen tears tracking down his face. His hand is extended towards her, ice cold wind is blasting into the room from the balcony and Ren dully sees storm clouds swirling above Sundusk bay. She pushes to her feet, and readies a yell only for Brian to swing his arm and ice spikes to raise from the floor, pushing her back even further. They puncture the sleeves of her dress, pinning her to the wall. Ren is taken over by an insurmountable level of terror.

Brian is still crying, before he shakily backs up and climbs on the ledge of the balcony. “I’m sorry.” He calls, before looking down at the bay and stepping backwards off the ledge. 

Ren screams, she screams with all her might and every single pent up emotion she hasn’t allowed herself to feel until her voice goes hoarse and her tears run dry, some servant tries to open the door but Ren can see it’s been punctured by a large icicle and she’s just overwhelmed. She slumps down on the wall as the commotion starts outside, footsteps flood into the smaller hall, she hears two familiar voices at the very least. 

The door get shoved open just a little, and there’s more yelling. Then somebody chants something and Magnus yells seemingly as loud as he can.

“Are you near the door?”

“No-” Ren calls back, feeling the cold of the ice seep into her skin.

“Close your eyes, I’m breaking it down!” And then a full sized axe of all things comes bursting through the door, before being drawn out again, and smashed down, and pulled out. It takes barely a few minutes before Magnus shoves his head through the hole.

“Ren!”

“I’m alright-”

“What the fuck- it’s all frozen, it’s ice?!” He disappears and the axe takes his place, he chips away at one of the sharp spikes to let him open the door. As soon as he does he comes at her, then Lup pulls herself through and onto one of the spikes. She straddles it, sliding over and across the ice to reach Ren quicker. 

“Ren are you alright? Ren- oh fuck- oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck-” Her words run together and Ren realizes she’s shaking. 

“Please get me out of here.” She whimpers, Lup holding her head up.

“We will, just hold still. Magnus!”

“On it!” And it takes longer than it should, Magnus heaves with his whole body to snap the ice and he can barely dent it, even the thinner parts that have her pinned. But eventually he cuts her out, Ren collapsing into his arms. Magnus, the big beefcake he is- just lifts her, both hands drawing her close as he storms out of the bay room. A huge crowd forms around them, swarms of people yelling and asking about the princess, about the King. And Lup snaps at every single one of them, she finds the two nicest looking servants and tells them to guide the three of them to Ren’s room, and Ren just melts in Magnus’ warm arms. She lays her head against his chest and sighs. Then, she’s asleep.

Brian lands on a pile of fresh snow, soft, powdery and deep to catch his fall. And as he steps out of the snow, he sees he’s already on Sundusk bay. He steps and ice forms under his boots. So he starts running. His breaths cloud around his face as the entire bay freezes over. Looking up he sees snow beginning to fall and he runs faster through the burning in his legs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed, please PLEASE leave a comment! It really does make a difference! They make my day!
> 
> Catch me on tumblr @MWritesSometimes for updates, snippets, and snacks!


	3. A Brother Found

Brian is sat in a desolate cave, watching snow whip by the opening and curled in on himself. With every tingle, every surge of magic he panics, he pulls at his hair and rocks. After a particularly nasty surge of wind though- he realizes something. He’s not necessarily cold. He’s shaking, yes, but he’s not frozen to death. He stands, touches his fanciful torn robes, his remaining glove, and he still has feeling in his hand. He traces his hand out of the mouth of the cave, taking in the light of the moon reflecting off Sundusk bay. It feels nice, the isolation, the privacy and the emptiness. Not in a harming way, the way of hiding he’s nurtured this whole time. He’s alone, because he chooses to be. He can’t hurt anyone, he doesn’t have to hide from Ren or risk hurting her. He doesn’t have to hide- He’s not hiding, because no one is up here. He can be- he can exist and do as he pleases, freedom crawls up his arms and does ribbon twirls in his chest. He can- 

He swirls his hand in the air, watching pale blue sparks fly up like glowing snowflakes. He initially panics, of course. But he can’t get in trouble, he can’t hurt anyone. He’s free- He does it again, and again. He moves his forearm in a quick circle rising a perfect snowman from the ground. And he feels right- it feels freeing and just perfect.

Because he can make things again, he can use this to do things, this is magic- not a curse of plague and famine. He makes another snowman, he tears off his glove and runs around the plateau, he shoots ice spikes up from the ground before they branch off, making replicas of the apple trees near the stables back at the castle. He runs more, he fires blasts of magic into the air with his breathless laughter, he falls into a perfectly placed snow bank and just cries. Exhaustion, glee, confusion, regret, he feels so much all at once and the magic isn’t exploding, he flexes his fingers as he stands and grasps at the air. 

And then he pulls, he pulls and pulls at a well long since abandoned in his chest. The magic flows, the movement of the shine inside of him in tangible and he can control it he can bend it. Ice spreads from his shoes into a floor, he lifts his arms and feels supports lift the disc into the air, he loses himself in the momentum of freedom. When he can think again, he’s created a room, simple and plain, and he knows it just won’t do. A chandelier forms high above, intricate pillars and staircases- Brian only pauses to test his limits, pulling at the thick traditional crowning robe and laughing as it melts away, ice blue fabric crawling onto his dark skin, nearly meshing into his skin. It entirely changes to a beautiful gown, intricate open front he styles into a spider, eight white lines wrapping to the back. 

And then the thought reaches him, he moves his arms and summons snow, a form slowly taking shape in a large sentient spider. The spider does move, it clicks it’s icicle teeth and nods. 

“Hello darling,” Brian breathes, “Let’s tour around the place, shall we?”

Ren wakes up, and for a few blissful moments believes that everything that happened last night was a dream. That Brian is home, safe, that he isn’t- some wild magical force that she doesn’t understand. That everyone is safe and happy. And when she opens her eyes, she turns to the window expecting the warmth of the summer midday. Instead she’s greeted by piles of snow clinging to the glass, ice spreading across it like spiderwebs. And she pushes upright, she stumbles to the window and presses her hands against the glass just barely wincing at the temperature. She looks down, her yellow dress is cut and dirtied, she sees a red droplet on her collar and licks her lips to feel a healing split. She pulls off her dress and pulls together her winter wear, underlayers of thick dark fabric, long sleeves and pants, fur trimmed coat and hat, thick gloves all betraying the fact that today is the day after the summer solstice. She shoves loose bills and coin into her pockets to be safe. She bursts into the hall and almost collapses again as she sees Lup half propped against the wall, head down.

Ren runs forward and falls beside her, and Lup jumps awake.

“You’re awake-” Lup throws her arms up and pulls Ren down into a hug, Ren leans into her and wraps her up tight too.

“I’m alright.” She says into Lup’s fur lined hood.

“Bad news, nobody knows where Brian went. They need you to be strong right now, can you do that?”

“No, Lup I have to go find him.”

“Did somebody take him? It’s dangerous.”

“I don’t-” Ren’s interrupted by nobility, they round the corner and approach. Ren pushes herself upright and pulls Lup up next.

“Princess Myrensi-” The one at the front bows, “We need to know what happened, where is the King?”

Ren opens her mouth and freezes, because she can only see this going one way if she tells the truth right now.

“He was kidnapped.” She says, “I couldn’t see the face of the attacker, but I know where he was taken.”

“What, we need to-” Lup interjects now, and Ren puts on her adult face.

“I’m going to take my horse and travel out to find him. The attacker said I had to go unarmed, and alone.”

“No.” Lup says.

“My lady, that’s impossible-”

“I don’t have a choice.” Ren snaps, “As the presiding head of the bloodline, I Myrensi of Loth, daughter of Yurola and Braedwyn declare Lup Taako the head of the matriarchy until I return with my brother, King Brionnre.” She takes a deep breath, and looks over at Lup. Lup is speechless, she gives a small nod and the nobles gasp amongst themselves. “Come on- we need my horse.” Ren pulls on Lup, and both women rush down the staircase barely able to keep themselves from stumbling the final few steps. 

“Wait- wait!” Lup pulls Ren back before she can get out of her reach. “Ren, what’s going on?”

“Brian’s stranded out there somewhere.”

“Yeah, stranded in the summer solstice blizzard! You can’t go out there!”

“I have to! I can’t let him die!”

“And I can’t let you die!” Lup yells back, closing her mouth and looking down. She takes a deep breath. “If he was taken- I’m not losing you too.”

“Lup- I’m not gonna die,”

“How do you know?”

“I can’t die, I haven’t seen you or Magnus get married yet.” She smiles weakly. “I-I can’t leave Brian. I can’t leave him out there in the blizzard, he needs me. I need to show him I’m there for him. That I won’t let him suffer alone anymore. A-And I can stop the blizzard! I just have to go. Alone.”

Lup keeps her hold on Ren’s wrist for another minute, before letting go sharply. “If you die I’m gonna kill you.” She says hurriedly, drawing Ren into another tight hug, this time digging her fingertips into Ren’s coat.

“You’re in charge Lup, can you work with Magnus to take care of everyone? And I mean everyone, not just the uppity folks.”

“I’m the older sister, don’t worry. Now let’s go get your horse.” Lup still holds her hand as they take off running through the halls to the stables. They both ride Lurue to the front of the castle, they look over Sundusk bay and Ren gasps. The entirety of the summer water is frozen over, snow banks already piling up. The bridge to the mainland is down, commoners are milling back and forth seeking help as clouds hang heavy in the morning sky. Ren can’t even see the sky, everything is blinding white. As she rides onto the bridge though, Ren sees Magnus handing out blankets and canned food to anyone he can reach. 

“Magnus!”

He looks up, and runs to the horse. “Ren! You’re up!”

“I’m going to save Brian.” She says, looking over her shoulder. Lup gets the message, she kicks her leg back over and jumps down from Lurue.

“She won’t listen to reason.” Lup pulls her coat tighter around her, fur hood close to her face.

“If you don’t come back we’re coming in after you.” Magnus says, looking up at her. He lifts a hand and Ren takes it, both squeezing tight.

Ren nods, and takes a deep breath. “I trust you. Lup’s in charge.” She says, letting go and whistling for Lurue to start running. She does, she takes off slow at first before galloping through the split crowd.

“ _ Lup’s _ in charge?” Magnus (whines) yells, watching Ren take off over the bridge.

Ren rides fast while she still has daylight, body leaned down over Lurue as she gallops through the streets of Loth. The breeze brings only more snow, but Ren knows where she’s going, she’s going north away from firstly the castle, and second deeper into the mountains where anybody could avoid contact with others. She wants to believe she’s going to come back, but she’s afraid. Lurue rides strong out the north side of the kingdom, to the upward paths that are normally known for spring and summer hiking. Ren hopes no one was snowed out here when Brian exploded. 

She eases off of the reins as the incline gets steeper, they climb best they can through the dirt and snow. It’s slow and she hates it, the way Lurue needs reassuring on any unsure steps. And although she strains her eyes she still can’t see any sign of Brian anywhere. And she loses track of time, the sun rises to the middle of the sky and begins to set before Ren and Lurue have travelled far enough to stop, Ren takes her snout in her hands after disembarking. 

“Hey girl, how ya doin’?” She rubs her hand up and down her snout, and the horse huffs a breath into her hand. “If we find a place near here we can get you some drapes or something, can you walk with me? We need to keep going.”

She nuzzles against Ren gently, and she smiles. “Thank you baby. Let’s go.” As the sun starts sinking down in the sky Ren keeps her hopes high and her expectations low. There aren't any tracks in the snow, but she knows he couldn’t go anywhere else. She calls his name into the woods, up to the mountains and down the plains. The snow at least stops a few hours before sunfall, giving Ren time to find a place to stay. And that she does, she sees the smoke of a fire and follows it to a small trading post. She ties Lurue out front, and knocks twice before pushing the door open. 

“Welcome to The Oculus, how can I help you?” The clerk calls, leaning forward over his counter. Ren smiles at him, an elf with small glasses on the bridge of his nose, and dark hair meticulously styled. 

“Hello, I’m looking for a place to stay for the night, just a stable would be appreciated, I’m travelling up the mountains. And horse gear?”

“Hm, anything winter related we’re not stocking a lot of, but we do have a stable.” Ren mills through the small store, and gathers some food for herself and basics for mountain travel she didn’t think to grab.

“Well, I’d much appreciate anything you can spare me-” She approaches the counter and smiles, setting her stuff down. “Jenkins.” Her eyes glance off his nametag, and he preens, straightening it. 

“Well miss, we don’t have hotel rooms but there are stables. You can stay out back there with your horse, fight off the chill.”

“Thank you so much Jenkins, I really appreciate it.”

“What are you doing out here, anyway?” He asks, scribbling down numbers on a notepad. 

“I’m looking fo-” And then the front door of the store slams open, the biting early evening breeze tears through the shop. Ren turns, and looks over the figure who’s just entered. They at least pull the door shut behind themselves, they trudge forward coated in what seems like inches of ice. It covers their clothes and tinkles in the air as they approach the counter. Ren looks up as they do, not even bothering to say anything as they get closer and closer, until they mumble something into the bandana covering their lower face looming over her. Ren squints up at them, and they roll their eyes. One snow crusted hand crunches their bandana and exposes their mouth. 

“The oats.” They say, looking down at the small baskets and bags kept in the front face of the counter. “Behind you.”

“Oh excuse me!” She scuttles out of the way and they lean down, grabbing the bag of oats. They drop it on the counter and push aside Ren’s order. 

“Ten.” They say, shuffling around in their pockets.

“Twenty five, actually.”

“What the fuck- no way.”

“The supply and demand has changed,” Jenkins says, adjusting his glasses. “If you cannot pay, you will be removed.”

“I can pay ten, the normal price for some fucking oats in this country, you’re a fucking grifter, or worse a vampire that can’t even suck right, you just suck period.” The shopper jabs a finger forwards, and then Jenkins stands up and Ren watches as Jenkins smacks their head with a plank of wood. The shopper collapses on the floor, and Jenkin grabs them by the arm and tugs them back out the front door, dropping them on the stoop before returning to the counter like everything is normal.

“Apologies miss, a routine disturbance.” He says, “So just the food and gear?” 

“And the oats, I didn’t know you had them.” She shuffles around in her coat pockets, and withdraws the money. She pays, takes her bag, and steps outside of the store. 

The sun is starting to set, she knows the temperature will start dropping soon. She nudges the apparent problem customer and they don’t rise. She returns to Lurue and sighs, she coaxes the horse to open her mouth and take the nice cloth bag Jenkins gave her. Ren returns to the frozen figure and hefts them up, they seem dense like muscle but still pretty spindly. She has them in the best way she can manage, stepping through the snow towards the stable. 

She closes up as best she can, guiding Lurue in and laying the figure down on a pile of hay. She’s about to shut the door when another horse appears, this one well trained with hair done up in intricate braids. It’s also got a nameplate, and it’s well stocked for winter travel. Ren nods and pulls the door open for it, before shutting it. The horse takes right over to the frozen figure, and Ren sighs. 

“Could you wake up please? I need your help.” She adjusts her layers and drops into her own pile of hay. 

“I’m not helpin’ anyone- I don’t help people.” They rumble, shifting on the hay and sitting upright. They hold their head and sigh before biting and pulling off one of their gloves, then the other, then untying the bandana and pulling off their thick winter hat. Long blonde hair comes tumbling out of the hat, and a very familiar face meets Ren’s gaze. “Just cause you dragged my ass offa Jenk’s porch don’t mean I owe you jack shit.” He smiles, huffing half a laugh. Same nose, same eyes that light up when talking bad about someone. Different freckle patterns but same dusting of dark over dark skin. 

“Oh my god, you’re Taako.” Ren breathes, “You look just like Lup.”

He bristles. “How do you know my name.”

“I-I’m best friends with Lup, your sister.”

“I don’t have a sister.” He snaps back, “I live out here. By myself. I don’t have family, don’t have friends.”

“Oh- okay.” She raises her hands gently in surrender, “But I’d still like to introduce you to Lup.”

“Not one for normal conversations, are you?” Taako quips, turning away from her and falling back onto the hay pile.

“No, I guess not. Here,” she grabs the bag of oats she bought and tosses it over. Taako turns over his shoulder, before swiping the bag and turning back. “You said you live out here?”

“We are not playing twenty fuckin’ questions.” Taako spits. 

“If you can guide me around the mountains I can pay you.” She says, having to hold back a laugh as one of Taako’s ears shoots upright (against his will, he shoves it down after a moment).

“How much?”

“Can you take me through all of the mountains? I’m looking for someone and I don’t know where they are.”

“Lost cause honey, anybody stupid enough to get caught in this is gone for good.”

“I have it in good faith they ain’t.”

“Listen- let’s do it this way. I don’t want to work during the off season, I’m supposed to be chilling at home laying around, lifting rocks when I get bored, and shipping off the stock of ice making big bucks.”

“You work in ice,” Ren says. “Right, the accident.”

“You- literally just talk like a normal person.” Taako huffs, spinning upright and glaring daggers at her. "Can you hold one decent fuckin' conversation?"

"In my defense I'm sort of going through a lot right now."

"Everybody's got some shit. Least you're rich."

Ren opens her mouth to say something, and pauses. “You’re bitter.” She says simply.

That at least gets a laugh out of him, “Yeah, sure am.”

“Alright, well I’ll start again. Hello, my name is Ren.” She crawls over and sticks a hand out, one Taako takes. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Taako,” He says slowly.

“I’m looking for someone who ran into the mountains, and you clearly live up here. Could I pay you to guide me through, up to the northern mountain?”

“Yes, you could, weirdo.”

“I’ll give you a hundred gold.” She says.

“Alright, sold.” He rolls over away from her on the hay. “We’ll leave at sunrise.”

“What do I need t’pay to make that right now?”

“What?” Taako gives up looking aloof and moves to sit in front of Ren, kicking a few piles of hay. “What are you-”

“Two hundred.” Ren says. 

“I’m not gonna-”

“Three.”

“How fucking rich are you- fine as long as you can pay that much, we can go!” He whistles and his horse approaches, it nuzzles down against Taako’s hair. “You up for this?” He mumbles. 

“ _ Yeah Taako, this ain’t suspicious at all dog. Just gimme some oats. _ ” Taako says, pitching his voice down and scratching under the horse’s chin to make it open and close its mouth a few times. 

Ren can’t hold back a giggle, she looks up at the horse. “What’s his name?”

“Garryl.” Taako says, grabbing one of his harness straps and pulling himself upright on it. “Come on. Don’t expect this to be all best friendly and shit, Taako doesn’t do friendships.”

“Why not?” Ren stands up now, quickly adjusting her new materials on Lurue. “You must be lonely out here.”

“I work in ice.” He says cryptically, getting one foot in a holster and kicking onto his horse. He doesn’t put on the bandana again, but he does push his hair back under his hat and pull his gloves back on. “Let’s go then, it’ll be cold but calm.”

“Alright,” She says, getting onto Lurue with minimal trouble. She leans down, patting her horse. “Thanks girl, we shouldn’t be going too fast since it’s dark.” When she looks up, Taako and Garryl are out of the stable, and Ren sees the gentle glow of a lantern just outside. 

“You’re the one who wanted to go so soon.” Taako calls inside.

“Coming!”

The moonlight shining down on the snow makes the fields sparkle, the breeze is freezing cold but clean and clear. And for a long time, the two of them just walk. Ren points out constellations and tries to start up small talk, and Taako pretty routinely shoots her down. But it’s not horrifically painful, the crunch of snow under hooves, the rustling of trees losing leaves. They ride through a fair bit of the flat open area before cutting through a tighter forest cropping. Ren sticks close to her guide, and Taako snorts a laugh.

“Afraid? Nothing should be awake.”

“Of course I’m afraid, but you know what you’re doing so I’m not panickin’ yet.”

“Yet?” Taako looks over at her and smiles. 

“Yet.” She repeats, smiling up at him. 

“Alright, well talk then. No guarantee I’ll respond, but you see like the kinda person that’s help for. Who are you looking for?”

“My brother,” She says, scanning the treeline as they walk. Taako nods, and doesn’t prompt much else. “He ran away after I confronted him.”

“About what?” Taako is just idling back and forth on Garryl, and Ren stops her incredulous peering when she notices. He really isn’t worried at all, her nerves are just getting the best of her.

“He’s kept me at arms length, nearly my whole life. Haven’t seen his face in years and when I did- well I guess I let my emotions get the best of me. I overwhelmed him.”

“What’s his name?” 

“Brionnre- though I call him Brian.” She smiles and Taako practically squawks.

“The  _ King _ ?”

“Yeah, but that’s not the point here I need to find him so he can fix the snow! He can do it-”

“How do you know that?” Taako drops Garryl’s reins and hooks the lantern on his saddle, looking back at Ren. Ren rolls her eyes and composes herself while the bushes rustle on her other side.

“He’s the one that did it.” She says.

“ _ The King did this _ ?! And you got all up in his grill!?”

“I didn’t know he could do this!” Ren yells back, “He did it after!”

“Oh so as a result of-  _ you’re the princess then _ !” He interrupts himself, throwing an arm out to point at her. 

“Y-”

“Oh my god if you die I’m dead.” Taako interrupts, pulling his hat down over his eyes. 

“We’ll be-”

“Don’t you dare say we’ll be fine that shit is broadcasting danger signals.”

“We’ll be fine.” Ren placates, only to prove Taako right. There’s a howl very, very close to them, and Taako freezes. He pushes his hat back up and stills Garryl, before lifting the lantern. Lurue stops just behind him and he shines it over the path in front of them, slow arc to peer around the forest surrounding them. 

When a shadow moves, casting light on a grey pelt approaching, Taako speaks. “Go-  _ go! _ ” And he’s off, Garryl galloping ahead. Ren takes a moment to process but she’s gone after him next. And less than a minute after, a wolf leaps from the shadows, then two, then three, and Ren stops looking back because she doesn’t even want to know how many there are. 

“This way!” Taako and Garryl lead the way with the light, Ren is fully panicking now. “Fuck-” They break through the tree line and the wolves are still giving chase, it’s almost sheer misfortune that Lurue tries to vault over the break and snags on a branch. 

Ren screams as she’s flung from her horse, there’s snarling and yelling as she hits the snow and gets a face full. Her hat goes flying somewhere and she feels snow eat away at her scalp, clinging to her hair.

“Ren!” Taako yells, before there’s a sharp pain in her calf and she hears Lurue scream too. “Hold on!” She tries to crawl as best she can, throwing snow around and her heartbeat is loud in her ears, she’s going to be mauled to death by these wolves- and then a hand grabs her cloak, and quite literally drags her away from the forest. It catches her neck wrong and she half screams but as slow and off balance the carrying is, she is getting away. Taako is leaning pretty heavily over Garryl’s side as he pulls her away, he doesn’t stop until they’ve breached the forest and plains to nothing but stone. 

“Lurue,” Ren whines, before Taako drops her entirely into a snowbank. It flies up around her, a cloud of white in the dark night.

“I think they’re gone for now, sorry I had to drag you but you’re not light or anything.”

“It’s okay, you still ended up saving me.” She calls, muffled by snow. She sits up and scatters the snow burying her, before looking up at Taako. “All I saw was snow, did she get away?” 

“Yeah, last I checked she was running back down the path towards the shop. Good for her.”

“It’s too dangerous to go back,”

“So you’re stuck with us. Let’s find some kind of cave to hole up in.” Taako doesn’t get down from Garryl, but he does extend a hand to help Ren balance. “We have to get you patched up and if there’s a pack of wolves out here, going much further at night doesn’t sound smart.”

She sways on her feet and holds onto Taako’s hand, “Yeah. Not my smartest plan I tell ya.”

“Can you walk?”

“Let’s just hope we can find a hidey hole soon.”

Taako, Ren and Garryl find an overhang in the mountain and set up shop without much panache. Taako sets up a small fire with the material on Garryl, he moves quick and purposeful. Ren tries to help, only for him to point at her and growl. Then she sits back down by the fire. 

Taako is still encrusted in snow when he sits down, but blond hair is poking out from his hat, and his lopsided grin is familiar. “How you feelin’?” He waves his hands towards his lap, and Ren maneuvers her leg over onto his knee. It’s at a weird angle, she almost has to lay on her stomach, but it’s at the back of her leg.

“Been better.” She laughs nervously. 

“Alright, at least it’s a tear.”

“And that’s a good thing?” She laughs again, the cold is seeping into her skin and spreading up her veins. The adrenaline is wearing off. 

“It means I can get into your pants, to get at the tear. I’m gonna have to touch it.”

“I can-”

“Sit still and shut up, you can’t see this or work on it from any angle. I’ve got this.” He pulls apart the fabric of her pants, then her under-leggings and she winces. She feels his fingers move, pressing at the flesh around the wound. “I’m gonna clean it, then disinfect it. Wrap it as best I can.”

“Okay.” Ren whimpers. 

“I’ve got you.” He says, and Ren hears Lup in it. Dedicated, knowledgeable, reassuring and calm all in a situation where Ren herself is losing her marbles. So what if she cries when Taako cleans the bite, she’s been through a lot and she deserves it. Taako wraps it as best he can, it’s a bit of a struggle with the clothes but neither of them can afford to strip in the summer solstice snowstorm. Taako holds it for a few minutes after it’s wrapped to be safe, and Ren appreciates it. 

“Forgot you guys got blue blood.” Taako murmurs, standing and moving to the other side of the campfire. He drops down in Ren’s field of view and Ren lets go of a deep breath.

“Still bleed all the same. Thank you for patching me up, I really appreciate it hon.” She wipes at her face.

Taako nods, leaning back against the stone. “I’m gonna find some food.”

“Feed Garryl?”

“ _ Yeah dog, I’m hungry as shit. Y’all got me runnin’ flamin’ blazes up here and I just want some’a my oats. _ ” Taako says into his palm, Garryl turning at the mention of oats.

“God, yes I’ll feed you too.” He rolls his eyes and his head dramatically, Ren giggles wetly into her hand. Garryl gets a few handfuls of oats, Ren and Taako sit by the fire with trail mix and dried meats. They watch the fire burn and fizzle, the way it casts shadows across the overhang. The snow is still blinding in the night light, and the trees down the slope shake with each cold breeze. 

Ren breaks the silence after a few minutes. “So you live up here?”

“Sorry, you need to be a level five friend to unlock my tragic backstory.” Taako scoffs, prodding the fire. 

“Do you have any friends at all?”

“I don’t need friends.” Taako mumbles. “I got a heart made of ice.” He’s still prodding around the fire, the light reflects in his eyes and casts his cold face in warm light.

“Well I consider you my friend.” Ren says back, fiddling with her hair and trying to swipe the final chunks of snow out.

Taako hums in reply, looking over at her movement. Ren sees him lean in and she leans in too. “My hairs black, still the-” She laughs, before Taako interrupts her.

“What’s the streak? Too white for bleach.”

“Oh, born with it.” She says. “Like to think I got kissed by a troll.”

Taako genuinely laughs at that, and Ren lights up. “Didn’t think it was that funny,” But she gives half a laugh, and Taako rubs at his eyes. 

“No- no. It’s- don’t worry about it.” But he’s still glowing with laughter. She doesn’t know how to reply, but the moment is nice, she tucks it away in her heart for later. “If you wanna trance we should have a few hours left, I can wake you.”

“Maybe, but I prefer to sleep.” Ren lays back careful to avoid hurting her wound, and stares up at the stone of the overhang. It’s blue-grey, mottled with what looks like granite at certain points mimicking the waves on the beach of Sundusk bay. She hears the waters rolling, the waves crashing as her eyes unfocus. She is very, very tired after all. She barely catches Taako’s response-

“Huh, me too.”

And then she hears her own laughter, Brian calling her into the waves and her mother yelling from the shore. The air smells of salt and heat, she falls asleep with her skin feeling kissed by the sun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed please PLEASE leave a comment! It really does make a difference!
> 
> Catch me on tumblr@MWritesSometimes for updates, snippets, and snacks!


	4. Confrontation

With the rising sun, Lup feels her muscles tighten and her hair grow tight on her scalp. She kicks up from the desk, the pile of paperwork of begging for pardons and aide shaking but not falling (thankfully). She rubs her arms as she trudges down the castle hall, still turning this way and that before she finds the grand staircase and descends. The cold has steeped in the place, being right on the waterfront. Freezing winds rock the windows, and it takes everything she has to not just set fires all around town.

She’s mumbling to herself as she takes the final few steps and looks out over the sea of people. Commoners and nobles alike are curled up on bedrolls huddling together buried under any fabric from the entire kingdom. A few guards patrol the perimeters, quiet to let the rest sleep. Lup hums quietly to herself as she trails through the bedrolls, she gets across the huge room and slips open one of the guard doors.

The courtyard of the castle is unforgiving and abandoned, the two fountains are frozen solid (Lup remembers when they had to turn off the water because the pipes were freezing). She runs a hand down her face and takes a deep breath before turning to look over the bay. The sun is further risen now, almost half peeking over the horizon. It sends warm light- shades of orange and magenta streaking across the frozen water. 

She loses herself in the image for a few breaths, the stress unknots and her hands unclench. The sun is so far away and she knows she can’t feel it over the cold, but she likes to think she can. She feels hope niggle in her sternum and warmth wash over her with the rising sun, because she won’t let despair grasp her yet. 

Magnus walks up beside her, and she looks up at him. “Hey.” She says quietly, her voice still hoarse with the silence she carried all night.

“Hey.” Magnus threads one of his big arms over her shoulders, and she catches his hand in one of hers. “How you holding up?”

“Okay. Leaning more about this country than anything I thought I knew before, Ren’s got it rough.”

“You’re doing great.” Magnus squeezes her against his side and she melts into him.

“We’re figuring it out.” Her voice dies off and they watch the sunrise. “You need sleep, little baby boy.”

“Can’t sleep, got too much on my mind.” Magnus leans just a little on her, and she stands taller to hold him too.

“Ren’s bed is really soft. Almost as soft as her.” She smiles weakly. The unasked question hangs in the air.

“Three days.” Magnus says, “Then I’m going out after her.”

“I woulda figured you’d-” Lup looks up to him before her ears twitch, and point forward, down the courtyard down the drawbridge. “Horse-” She says, pulling Magnus’ hand and running down the drawbridge. Her boots slam on the wood then on the stone and Lurue comes into view. Lup freezes as she gets closer though, because Lurue is alone. She’s running with a limp, whinnying clearly in pain and Magnus at least kicks up his run to catch her halfway. He shushes her and checks her over- Lup catches her breath and runs the final gap. 

“Lup-” Magnus looks over at her, “She’s injured- there’s a fair bit of blood.”

“I’ll- I’ll take her back to the stables-” Lup’s voice is unbelievably weak.

“I’m going out to find Ren.” Magnus says, “Take me back to the stables.”

“Let’s go.”

Taako wakes her too soon, Ren's body protests as she shifts. “Come on, breakfast and finding your brother.”

Ren hums and mumbles, sitting up and running her hands through her hair. “Feel gross.” She mumbles.

“Yeah, that’s what tends to happen. You’ll be back in your castle soon enough.”

“Sorry.” she mumbles, standing and stretching. Her leg burns, but that’s to be expected with the hole in her layers. Taako hums and looks over at her.

“Okay, I’ll get on first then you take the back.” And then in almost a flash he’s seated on Garryl, hand extended down to her. She takes it, boot in one stirrup, and then perched on the back half of the saddle. It’s definitely not comfortable but it works, and Ren needs to find Brian before things can get any worse. She blinks as Taako drops the same bag of food in her hands, before turning back to the reins. 

“Right, breakfast.” She mumbles.

“If you die, I’m dead.” Taako says again, before flicking his wrists.

It’s quiet again, when they need to pick up speed Ren wraps her arms around Taako’s middle and holds to him and he doesn’t tease her. He doesn’t make fun of her for babbling when she gets especially nervous, he laughs at some of her jokes and he offers quips here and there. He seemed- cold. Or he did until they spent time together, and it’s only now Ren recognizes it. He was cold in the same way Brian was at the party, like he’s wanted contact, needed it, craved it, but held off. Maybe he’s happy to be traveling with her. Ren chooses to think so. She finds Taako more than pleasurable to be with, he doesn’t talk much but he’s clearly incredibly smart. Not that he has books memorized or poems to recite- but he can tell Ren the best way to catch and cook fish, how to make ten gold last ten weeks, how to tell when a person is lying based on their movements. And even if he does know she’s the princess, he never folds himself over to bow. He elbows her and calls her jokes dumb just like Magnus and Lup. He’s older than her and she feels like she could learn so much from him. And she hopes that she can bring him back to Loth proper, because as sturdy as he is Ren can see the falters of solitude, stutters and the winding thoughts that might not actually go anywhere, he falls quiet for stretches at a time. She considers him a friend.

A piercing blue light catches her eyes as they ride around a frozen lake, a few dirt patches and trees sprouting here and there. Ren squints, glancing around before Taako pulls Garryl to a stop.

“Jesus fuck-” He breathes, “I think I found your brother.” Half visible over a smaller peak, Ren sees a shimmering blue crystal palace- and it isn’t until Taako speaks again that she realizes. “I could cry, that ice is beautiful.”

“Ice,” She says, looking back at it. It  _ is _ ice, tall spires that pierce the clouds, intricate balconies and doorways. “We did it.”

“Alright, let’s go say hello.” Taako flicks his wrists and they’re off again, up this final streak and curving around the sparse trees, kicking up snow before any more falls. The castle disappears for a few minutes and then they emerge on a flat side, a long delicate and detailed staircase connecting from the stone and rising up to meet the palace.

Taako gets off first, jumping to the near waist deep snow and whistling. “Well, I guess it’s on foot here up.” He scratches under Garryl’s jaw and the horse opens his mouth.

“ _ But Taako- _ ”

“But nothing. Ren, come on.”

“Coming.” Ren calls, swinging her injured leg over and hopping down from the steed. “Thanks Garryl.” She pets his snout as she passes, Taako getting a few feet before the steps and looking at her. Then she takes the lead, one hand on the handrail of the bridge as she climbs. 

“So what’s the plan?”

“Find Brian, talk to Brian, have Brian fix storm.” She says. “I’ll go in by myself, and then if you can lead us back down to city we can be done with everything.”

“Hopeful,” Taako says.  _ Implausible _ . She hears.

“Hope’s all I got right now.” She says, reaching the top and putting a gloved hand on the final bit of the railing. She steps onto the entryway, staring up at the shining blue ice. A few hesitant steps has he push gently on the door- it opening to reveal a just as intricate interior. It opens into an entryway more akin to a ballroom, two curved staircases that lead to the next floor and a chandelier that tinkles in a small breeze. 

Her steps echo in the hall, her breathing is loud and labored in the arctic emptiness. She takes a few steps up the stairs when the front door slams shut, startling her into a small squeak. She looks back for a few moments, and then turns back up the stairs. And there, standing at the head of the staircase, is Brian.

He’s in a beautiful blue gown, open front and clinging tight to his chest, his hair has been freed from it’s baubles and wire to hang loose around his head. He’s glowing, his eyes are shocked but shining with health. “Ren.” He says quietly. 

“You look different-” Ren replies, before she shuts her mouth and tries again. “Uh- yeah. It’s me Brian.” She smiles hesitantly, and he smiles back. It’s not forced or scared, it’s soft and open in a way Ren has never seen before, she loses her breath and smiles wider.

“It’s nice seeing you.” His voice is different too, he doesn’t sound like a noble. He sounds genuine, the sharp tongue of an accent Ren’s never heard before now. “Can I- ach, I don’t have anything for being a proper host, pardon me!” He laughs airily.

“You’re different.” She says, climbing up towards him.

“Yes, I suppose I am.” He doesn’t shy away from her now, when she reaches the top and slips in fact he catches her hands and helps her balance. “There we go- it can be rather slippery.”

“Is this all you needed?” Ren laughs, “A- An ice castle away from home? You’re- you’re happy. You’re lighter.” She squeezes his bare hands through her gloves.

“I’m not hiding anymore darling. I’m allowed to be free, authentically me.” He pulls her along the ice, “Let me take you to the balcony, we can sit and talk.”

“I’d- I’d really like that but we don’t have time- you have to stop the storm.” Ren follows, and almost bumps into his back.

“I-I knew there was a storm but it should lift- it’s- it’s the summer solstice- or it was.”

“It is, but it’s magic. Come on, we can go back to the castle and you can lift the storm, everything will be fine-” She tries to pull him, and he doesn’t move. 

“No- Ren I can’t go back. You’re more fit for the royal duties, let me have this. Leave me here.”

“I won’t leave you Brian-”

“I’ve hurt people before, I’ve hurt you Ren.”

“What do you-”

He reaches towards her, scoops up some of her hair and traces his thumb down what she knows as her skunk stripe. “I did this to you. And I had to hide away for the rest of my life, for fear of killing you. I don’t even know if it’s safe for me to tell you right now but I need you to know. I’m sorry- and- and I won’t let myself be put back there and be so afraid- my magic is wonderful!” He pulls away from her and gestures at the hallways, intricate and beautiful ice with patterns ingrained of spiderwebs and flowers. Sunflowers. “I’m away from everyone, I don’t have to hide, I can’t hurt anyone.”

“You- you can come back up here, I guess- but you need to fix the storm.”

“I don’t know how.” He says quietly.

“What do you mean you don’t know how?” Ren approaches him, and he starts backing away. 

“I mean I don’t know how- I’m sure it’ll-”

“It won’t just go away, Brian if you can’t fix it then at least we can go back home and work together on a way to find out.” Ren calls, pursuing him up the stairs. 

“I won’t go back.” He snaps.

“Brian, I’m sorry but it ain’t a request, the kingdom is relyin’ on us right now.” She follows him into another grand room and he spins around on his heel.

“I’ve lived with worse! I’m done- of being the prince- the king. I can’t do it by myself!” He yells, hands flying out at his sides.

“You ain’t alone anymore-” Ren yells back, “I’m right here. We can do it together, and I ain’t leavin’ without you.”

“I’m not going back!” He yells, voice echoing in the room and bouncing on the walls back over them. “I just found this freedom, this safety! I won’t throw it away!”

“So you’ll sacrifice the whole kingdom?!” Ren approaches on him, “Do you have any idea how selfish that is-”

“I’ve earned being a little selfish, I sacrificed my entire life for you!” He jabs a finger at her, Ren notices his hand glowing but doesn’t realize.

“I never asked you to!”

“No, Mother and Father did! Because you were the baby and the  _ princess- _ ” He spits the last word with vile and contempt.

“At least I have the common decency to talk things out instead of balling it all up-” She makes vague hurried gestures at her chest, “And then letting it all  _ explode _ ! This temper tantrum is killing people!” She screams, throwing her hand out. 

“Just- get out!”

“No! One of us has to be responsible!”

“I was the responsible one-” Brian clenches both his hands in his hair, and Ren keeps getting closer.

“Sure you were-”

Before she can touch him, he throws his arms out wide- “Shut up and _ leave _ !” and the entire room goes white. Brian almost flashes blue, his magic exploding in a wave around him. It goes in slow motion and Ren is too slow to block or do anything aside from watch it phase into her chest through her clothes. Then her legs crumple, and she can’t take a breath, because her chest is frozen- her lungs are seizing, her heart has stopped. It starts again after a few seconds but the pain and the shock have her on her knees before she realizes. She’s jerking in fits of pain, she feels that cold shoot up her spine and another weft of her hair turn that cold white. 

“Bryan, please escort her out.” She hears.

“Sorry- but I’ll be taking her.” Taako says, making Ren look up. He’s standing in the open doorway, spinning a grappling hook on a length of rope. “And you.”

To say Brian takes that announcement poorly is an understatement, but he’s startled enough for Taako to surge forward and help Ren to her feet (she leans heavily on his shoulder but she can breathe at the least). 

“The guide I take it?” Brian stands, hands extended.

“Correct.” Taako smiles, hunching but one arm still poised to throw the hook.

“Well, hello hello. Hope you enjoyed-!” And cold wind rushes from his fingertips, buffering Taako and Ren backwards. They scratch along the surface of the ice, and Taako throws the hook only succeeding in sending it clattering along the floor. “ _ And don’t come back! _ ” 

Ren half chokes on a scream as both she and Taako are lifted into the air, clenched by ice bricks and extended up by the snow spider. Then the next thing she knows, they’re being thrown out of the castle, a tangle of limbs as they land in the snow just before the staircase.

“Fuck you too!” Taako yells- shoving snow around. “God, I can’t believe that asshole- you swear you’re-” His question dies in his throat as Ren sits up shakily. “Hey, you alright?”

She nods slowly, a hand pressed into her chest before pushing snow out of her hair. 

“Oh my god, Ren, your hair.” He says quietly. He reaches up to it and strokes down the stripe- “What happened?”

“Magic-” She squeezes her eyes shut and gasps as another, smaller section turns in her peripheral vision. Taako takes her shoulders in his hands, and shakes her until she looks at him. When she does, Taako’s gaze is nothing she’s ever seen before. 

“I’m gonna- alright get ready, I’m taking you home.” He pulls off his hat, stuffing it down on her head. “I’m gonna help you onto Garryl, okay? We need to go fast.” He does just that, Ren shivers as she curls against his back and Taako flicks his wrists hard. Garryl takes off fast and Ren can hear her heartbeat thudding in her chest the entire ride back down the mountain. But it’s different, she doesn’t see their hidey hole, or the brush with the wolves. They pass by a frozen river, they cross over a small frozen lake. She doesn’t know where they’re going, so she can only assume it’s not her home. They’re going to Taako’s home.

Magnus rides with the few volunteers up the north mountain. They don’t stop for any reason and when a wave of blue light catches up on the mountain, shining brightly through reflecting ice it doesn’t take them long to figure out where to go. 

“There.”

Brian is pacing in the hall of his palace, head rocking back and forth as he breathes. Ren came to see him, she tried to bring him back and he hurt her- she looked injured, did his magic hurt her again? He couldn’t see or feel anything aside from the rage. He’s snapped out of his reverie by the front door opening again. He takes off out of the hall into the passageway down to the entrance- the apology already streaming from his lips.

Four people stand in the well of the entrance, varying levels of weapons. The one in the front, a human man brandishes an axe. 

“Brian?” He says, looking up at him with shock. “You’re the- you-”

And Brian panics, he throws an arm up to build an ice wall between the intruders and the staircase. They all yell, varying levels of surprise as the leader starts yelling instructions. Brian in turn take down back to his hall, pulling the door shut, freezing it shut. Soon, too soon there’s banging at his door, he rushes to the other side of the room and readies his magic- summoning his snow spider.

The axe breaks through the ice of the door, Brian tries to freeze it into the door but it breaks through another spot, he hears chipping away with crossbow bolts and swords. They break through and Brian throws up another wall, the leader vaulting over it with hardly a pause. The rest run around it, Brian skitters across the ice dodging a bolt. There’s too many- they’re yelling and Bryan does what he can to tackle two of them. The castle around them starts to shake as Brian loses control, the floor cracks down the middle and one of the intruders trips over it, sliding across the floor. 

A crossbow bolt whizzes by Brian’s head and he can’t think, he can’t do anything but blast his magic. He tries to rush the door to the balcony, intervened by one of the intruders, then turn around and the leader has his axe out. He’s surrounded. 

The leader is heaving breaths, his long hair disheveled in the attack. Brian looks up at him, scanning his features for any weakness, for mercy. His eyes are hard, his face littered in scars. His sideburns are big and plastered with snow. 

“Where’s Ren.” He says.

“Magnus- the storm.” Another says, helping an ally to their feet. 

“Ren.” He says louder.

Brian freezes, he stares up at this intruder- until another speaks. 

“He’s not cooperating.” The closer intruder says, brandishing their crossbow. “Let’s encourage him.” And at that Brian reacts shooting a blast of magic out at them, attempting to get away one final time before something hits his head very hard, and everything goes fuzzy, then black.

Ren wakes from a fitful half consciousness, Taako is shaking her and she thinks she’s laying in the snow.

“Hey- hey. Wake the fuck up- this is important.”

“I’m awake- I’m-” She trails off, but she does open her eyes. Taako’s kneeling above her, eyes scrunched in worry. His hair is done up in an intricate braid he’s finishing off. He looks up at someone, and Ren turns towards them. 

“Is there anything you can do?”

“It is not like you to bring a girl of all humanoids here-” A voice replies and Ren’s mouth falls open when the voice comes from a troll, an actual rock troll.

“That’s not the point, she just- I don’t want her to die, you fixed a drow before from magic.” He says again, balling his fists in Ren’s coat. She can’t really do anything herself, staying still and warm seems to keep off the chill. Keep herself from doing anything to exacerbate the magic at the least.

“I fixed this drow, hello again Princess Myrensi.”

“What?” She mumbles.

“Where was she hit?” She can barely feel the hands that get to work on her through her mountain of layers. 

“Chest, I think.” 

“Heart.” She hears the elder say, “I’m sorry, we can’t do anything.”

“What do you mean you can’t do anything- she’s-! I don’t fucking know- she’s in pain!”

“Only an act of true love can mend her heart now, my child. She has already taken damage from this magic before- she’s contracted a weakness. I’m sorry Taako, she needs that act of selflessness, of unconditional love.”

“What, you got a girlfriend or something? Boyfriend? Fuck- your brother can’t do anything but-”

“My best friends.” She says, sitting upright. Taako’s hands hover around her, and she smiles. “I’ll be okay.”

“Shut the fuck up- you can’t just say that when you’re  _ clearly _ in pain.” Taako’s words are sharp, but his voice afraid. 

“I will be okay Taako, just get me home. My home.”

“Alright. It won’t be quick, but I’m trusting you here. If you-” His voice dies off now that what was a joke up until now is a frightening possibility. They climb onto Garryl, Ren curling against Taako’s back again and holding her arms around his middle. He doesn’t give any more explanation or so much of a goodbye to the rock trolls. 

“Who are we going to visit?” Taako yells into the wind as they sprint. “Talk to me princess!”

“Lup- and Magnus.” Ren yells back, tilting her head so her voice isn’t muffled by his coat. 

“My sister? And who’s the other?”

“He’s a big meathead- soft and sweet. Tall and strong.” She feels herself smiling as she describes him. 

“And my sister? Tell me about her.”

“She’s got a strong moral compass, she follows her heart.”

“Keep going, yell if you have to!” The wind whips around them, although snow had stopped falling while they travelled up, the path down isn’t as easy. 

“She taught me papercraft!” Ren’s chest feels warm as she talks, “She keeps collections of pretty paper and makes paper bird enchantments!”

“Really? And how does she do that?”

“She-...”

“Oh no no, you gotta keep talking to me!” Taako yells.

“Almost like you care, mister ice heart.” Ren laughs weakly against his back.

“You better teach me how to make paper birds! If I mess it up cause’a your shit instructions I’ll be pissed!”

“When we get back Lup can teach you.”

“Well tell me about it now, how does she do it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed reading, please PLEASE leave a comment! It really does make a difference!
> 
> Catch me on Tumblr @MWritesSometimes for updates, snippets, and snacks


	5. Loving and Loathing, Unconditionally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Katah? Here's looking at you

Brian wakes up, which is the first surprise. The second surprise is that he wakes up in prison. It’s a cell in the Loth castle dungeon, he can recognize it from the discussions with criminals he had to uphold as the patriarch. He shifts on the stone floor, surprised to find himself not even a cell with a bed. He sits upright, putting a hand to steady himself only to slip and falter. His hand catches metal, he squints in the low lighting to see a spill or ice patch. He instead looks where his hand should be, and there is only a metal cage. He draws both his hands into his chest, jumping at the sound of metal chains clanging about. His hands are trapped, he can feel and move them but he can’t even brush his hair back from his face, or touch the walls. He feels the stab of fear, before he swallows it down to pulls himself up sitting against the wall. He knees meet his chest, his arms lay heavy at his sides. The low light that seeps into the room is from the dingy window and more pressingly he hears the raging of wind.

He loses himself to the contemplation, listening to the raging storm. Brian doesn’t know how much time passes as he fades away.

A harsh snap brings him back to his body, the door of his cell opening. Torchlight illuminates the rear of his visitor, she steps into the room and slams the door shut behind her.

“So, you’re the sorcerer.” Her voice is tight, and Brian sneers.

“Let me go.”

“You don’t have any rights anymore- you’re doing to do exactly as I say and then you’re going to die.” She snarls back. 

“If you let me go- the storm will calm-” It’s an empty promise, he doesn’t know how to fix the storm but if she believes him-

“I’m not letting you go. You killed my brother- and now you’ve taken away what family I had left. Tell me where Ren is.” She draws a shortsword from her back, and points it down at Brian. He leans back, chin tilted up as the blade nears. 

“She’s not back?” 

The interrogator at least pauses at that, believing the surprise in his voice. 

“I-I threw her out- how long has it been? When was I captured?”

“The sun is setting.” She says coldly. “Ren’s been gone two days.”

“She was at my castle this morning, a-and I threw her out. She was- she was with a guide-”

“And how can I trust you? How do I know you didn’t kill her-” She steps over him now, the tip of her sword pulling Brian’s chin up. Brian swallows thickly, mouth open and searching for an answer. He feels his eyes shaking, his breath coming fast and shallow.

An answer does come, banging on his cell door. “Miss Lup, The princess-” And then Brian watches as the interrogator sheathes her sword and storms from his room. He counts his breaths, dipping his hands again into the pool of magic he’s been relying on, he moves it in waves up and down pushing and pulling at the force. His hands grow cold, he feels his shackles ice over slowly. He’s not going to stay here.

Taako whips against Garryl again, screaming his head off as they enter the town. The streets are desolate, snow is piled high and plowing seems to have been forgone early on. 

“Hey! Somebody! Anybody!”

“The bay-” Ren says as loud as she can and Taako nods taking off towards the bay. When he reaches the drawbridge, he yells again. 

“Please! Someone! I have Ren! She needs help!” He draws into the courtyard and a dozen people appear all talking. They pull Ren off of Garryl, Taako follows as they touch her, poke and prod. “Please- do whatever you need to, she’s injured- please don’t let her die!”

Taako watches, lump thick in his throat as Ren’s whisked away towards the building. A burly figure emerges to lift her in his arms like it’s nothing and then they’re rushing back inside. He breathes deep and heavy as he steps back and catches his balance on Garryl’s saddle. 

“God, just pull through-” He breathes. He looks over at Garryl before pressing his face into the horses fur. “Oh god I’m in it now, I don’t want to leave. What happened to ice Taako, huh asshole? Why’d you let me get myself in trouble?” He thuds his head against Garryl’s neck. 

“This is gonna hurt.”

Lup storms up the stairs, heartbeat loud in her ears. The people in the entryway are milling about at a dull roar, talking about what’s just happened. The nobody who delivered the news runs up beside her panting.

“She’s being taken to the warmest room on this floor-”

And then she’s gone again, yelling through the halls until she catches Magnus’ response. 

“Here Lup!” And she bodily shoulders the door open, losing her next breath. There are people milling about, but Magnus is seated on the small couch in the room, it being shoved close to the fireplace. Someone is starting a fire. Ren sits in Magnus’ lap, curled up with her head on his chest. Lup walks over and drops to her knees, her hands fisting in Ren’s winter clothes. They don’t seem to do anything for her, she’s clinging to Magnus and shivering. 

“Ren, Ren what happened?” Lup’s hand moves up to her face, her dark skin is ashen and freezing. Lup thinks she sees cracks on her lips, and around her eyes like her skin is literally freezing next. 

“She hasn’t talked coherently,” Magnus says gently, and Lup recognizes the breathy tone. He’s going to cry too. 

“So we don’t know what happened?” Lup looks up, her hands still on Ren.

“Not completely, but it’s safe to assume.”

Ren’s gentle moan interrupts them. “...Magnus?”

“Hey, hey there.” He adjusts on the couch and holds her close. “How you feeling?”

“Bad, nice … t’see you.” She tunnels her face into his shoulder, and mumbles something else. 

“Everybody out.” Lup says, looking up. “Everybody out now.” And they slowly filter out, not willing to fight the head at a time like this. One kid does try to rush in, they yell for Magnus. He swears under his breath, and presses a kiss to Ren’s hat, and Lup’s hair before leaving (unwillingly).

“I’ll be right back, the last thing we need is fights breaking out. I’ll- I’ll get blankets.”

Lup is staring at Ren, but nods. The door to the room clicks shut. 

Lup pushes the couch closer to the fireplace and drops next to Ren, pulling her upper half into her lap. She complies although she’s bigger, she looks up at Lup with glassy eyes and smiles. 

“Hey Lup,” She says quietly, followed by a bone deep jerking shiver. “Lup,” 

“What d’you want stupid?” She laughs weakly, wiping the final traces of snow from her clothes before they melt and make her cold and wet. 

“Saw Taako.” She says, closing her eyes.

There’s an indistinguishable feeling that spikes through Lup, intense hope, and just as intense fear.

“What do you mean?” Her hand holds Ren’s cheek again, and Ren closes her eyes. The light of the fire barely illuminates her face but she looks unbelievably tired. 

“Saw him.” she breathes.

“Yeah,” Lup says, “You’re not allowed to see him anymore, okay? Gotta stay right here on this plane.” Lup laughs wetly, unable to control the tears welling in her eyes. In response Ren just clings to her, shaking growing weaker by the minute. “Stay with me Ren, stay here.” She shakes her friend and Ren tries to nuzzle her face into Lup’s coat. It only works in dislodging her hat and Lup falters a breath. She uses her free hand to pull the unknown hat the rest of the way off and she gasps. Instead of her normal small streak of white in black, all of Ren’s visible hair is stark white. She looks just like Brian.

And that makes Lup  _ angry _ . Her blood boils, her skin and muscles ripple with how tight she pulls them. She’s shaking as she drapes herself over Ren like a blanket. She sits up, and Ren’s breathing is small and quiet. And then, she’s still. She’s still for a very long time.

“I’ll fix this Ren, I promise.” Lup screws her eyes shut and presses a kiss to her forehead. Then she’s rolling Ren off of her lap, taking off her own cloak and draping it over her friend. “I promise.” She scrubs at her eyes, and opens the door to the room. As she moves like wind leading a storm, she draws her shortsword.

When Brian’s ice finally gets the metal to a shatter conducive state, it just takes a few solid hits to the stone wall. Frozen bits of metal blast out, and Brian’s wrists ache but he can escape now. He trips over himself getting to the wall with the small window, and although he’s panicking the ice takes to the stone like nothing he’s ever seen, expanding it and cracking the foundation is easy enough to knock a few of the center bricks out. Then they fall out like a bulls-eye until it’s a hole big enough for him to crawl through. His dress gets caught and torn as he moves like a man possessed, he falls to the ground and rolls along the frozen ice of Sundusk bay. He scrambles for purchase just barely until he can look up and see white. He can’t see anything aside from white. 

Wind whips his hair and his dress as he turns back to the castle. Then, he runs into the storm. 

Taako looks back as a nasty belt of wind nearly knocks him from Garryl- he turns back to the castle from his slow climb up the mountain pass. The castle is barely visible through the worst blizzard Taako has ever seen, and he’s lived in the mountains his entire life. It’s more like a vortex, or a tornado centered over the bay. He turns Garryl back facing it, and chews the inside of his cheek. Things aren’t going to plan then. So fuck the plan.

“Let’s go!” Taako snaps his wrists, “If they can’t love her then I sure as hell can!” And Garryl is rushing back down the mountain pass, kicking up snow. 

Ren sits up shakily, one hand gripping Lup’s coat. She left? Just thinking hurts but she knows she can’t be alone- she needs her friends- she needs true love- she needs her friends- her family. She feels something wet dribble from her lip, and swipes it away as she stumbles to the window. It looks down over the bay, and in a brief flash she sees the storm turn up, she forces her neck upright to see the drawbridge rattling in the storm, before pieces of wood start breaking off entirely. They don’t have time- If Magnus and Lup are gone, she needs Taako. She knows his heart isn’t made of ice, she cares for him and believes him. She just has to get out there. 

Lup kicks the door to Brian’s cell open steaming with rage, sword drawn and mouth downturned. The wind that meets her is by no means wanted, but expected. Without more than a moment's pause she takes through the hole and into the eye of the storm. 

The bridge is destroyed when Taako and Garryl finally reach the castle, so they have no choice but to weather the storm on the frozen bay. Garryl jumps down as quick and safe as he can, he takes off sprinting across the frozen waters. Taako has his head down and hands a white knuckle grip on the reins. He leans with every dodge of flying debris even as the ice starts to crack beneath them. When a piece of shrapnel gets too close and imbeds itself in the ice just ahead of them there isn't enough time to run around. All Taako can do get flung off as Garryl stops dead, and spin across a slowly breaking chunk of ice. Garryl screams as the ice beneath him breaks, Taako watches his horse dunk into the water, before his head breaches. At the very least the path of the break leads back towards the land. 

“Go! I need to go in!” He throws an arm back towards the docks, before scrambling to stand on the ice. Then he’s on foot, snowflakes burning his throat and legs sparking with pain as he sprints into the blinding white.

Ren, in one of her both smart and stupid decisions, looks down the window view and rightly decides she doesn’t have time to take the long way. She pushes the window open and pain spikes in her chest as the wind rushes past her. She looks down again, seeing a sizeable snow bank accumulating against the building. She lifts one leg carefully out, then the other. She falls down the one story into the snow, feeling cold tears swell in her eyes as the snow covers her like a tomb. It takes more strength than it should to shovel her way out, but she’s on her feet again. There’s a sharp rolling pain from the very back of her head like a migraine, and she doesn’t want to think about what it must be. Her steps are slow and shaky but she squints and takes off into the storm. 

Brian can’t breathe, what was supposed to be a straight shot across Sundusk bay has him turned around, he can’t see two feet in front of his face. He’s being chased by people out to murder him- and Ren’s gone. Tears run trails down his cheeks when a cracking beneath him has him stall. Then he’s sprinting. He hears something and turns to look before his train catches in an ice track and he goes sprawling across the ice. His whole body is tingling, it’s burning like it’s being eaten alive by this power. He’s crying, a shaking and jerking mess on the ice of the bay. He’s lost control, he’s destroyed the country. How many people has he killed? He is a monster. 

Lup appears in front of him, the tip of her sword dragging a line in the ice. She draws it forwards when she’s a few strides from the disgraced king, she points it down at his face. She sees him react, his hands flying up and she screams over the howling wind.

“Ren is dead.” She spits, not caring in the slightest as his eyes go wide and all the color drains from his face. “Her skin was frozen and cracking. Her hair turned white. You killed her- and all she ever wanted to do was  _ help you-! _ ” She doesn’t care that the cyclone of snow is tightening around them, that she can’t see any more than a foot away from her in any direction. All she cares about is Ren. Is Taako. Brian took them both. Brian is a monster who kills the people Lup loves. He’s going to take, and take, until there’s nothing left. Until Lup is alone and bitter and there is nobody left who’s whole in the kingdom, in the world. He’s going to ruin family after family, love after love until he’s stopped. So she draws her sword.

Ren doesn’t know rightly where she is, but she can hear a familiar voice. She thinks its Taako so she follows it. Her hands start to burn before throbbing in foreign pain. Looking down she sees her fingers turning quite literally to ice. The pain becomes too much and she looks up, stumbling and fighting to stay upright. And she breaches a thick wall of roaring snow, before stopping. There is Lup, but more pressingly is Brian. He’s hunched and staring down at the ice not fighting in the slightest as Lup raises her sword. She reaches the drawback peak- and Ren acts. 

Lup can’t stop her swords momentum as much as she wants to. Brian recognizes the boots and back of the figure standing in front of him too late. Ren throws an arm up just as she finally loses feeling in it. Then, Brian and Lup watch as Ren all but instantly turns into a solid, ice statue. Lup’s sword connects with her ice forearm, the blade breaks instantly. Lup drops the remaining hilt to the ground as she stumbles backwards, falling onto the ice and staring up at what was just her best friend. Brian crawls forward, digging his nails into the ice of her boot, pulling himself upright with his hands on her. She’s not round and soft, she’s not breathing- she’s ice. Brian can see through her, he can see that Ren is gone. He sees ice in the shape of his sister, who just this morning gave everything to find him. Who cared for him even as he was, who loved him unconditionally. 

A sob rips its way through his chest, he leans down and presses his forehead into what was the fur trimming of her coat. The storm around them stops, his cries echo in the deafening silence. Myrensi of Loth, the sister he needed his entire life sacrificed herself for him. 

“I’m sorry-” He babbles, eyes screwed shut. “I’m sorry Ren- I’m sorry- I’m sorry  _ I’m so sorry- _ please-  _ please- _ ” His voice breaks but he keeps going. He spills apologies and tears as he holds onto her. 

Taako sees it before he can process it. There is Brian, and he’s hunched over an ice statue. Someone else is laying on the ice, but Taako can’t find it in him to care. He runs forward and freezes when he realizes what happened. He was too late. He collapses next, silent and dazed. 

The bay is silent save for Brian’s guttural and raw screams of agony. 

When Brian stops to breathe, he can’t find it in himself to care about anything, much less the tears rolling down his cheeks. He presses his forehead down against his sisters, and lets the tears drip from his skin onto the ice that was once her face. And then he blinks his eyes open, squinting against a small light. He blinks, and pulls himself back as his sister’s statue starts to glow, it bleeds from his tear and shoots across her in webs of that light. It crisscrosses tighter and tighter until there isn’t any ice left, and then there’s an explosion of wind. Everyone flinches, shielding their eyes. And as it slowly dies down, each looks in turn to Ren. More specifically the real Ren, her clothes and hair rippling wildly in the wind as her arm falls and her head rolls back. Brian is the closest and he catches her shoulders before she falls the entire way, but they both collapse onto the ice. Ren, actual flesh Ren lays back and Brian sits in stunned silence, his sister half laid across his lap. Taako and Lup approach, neither paying each other half a thought as Ren takes a deep breath. Her eyes flutter open and Brian leans down, a shaky smile on his lips. 

“Hi Brian.” She whispers.

"You idiot, you idiot.” He says back, hands digging into her coat. 

“An act of true love.” Taako says, looking up from the scene at the other bystander. He pauses, because it’s- it’s almost an exact copy of him. She looks up and has the same expression before she speaks quietly.

“Taako?”

“You have my face.” He says.

“You don’t remember me?”

"I haven’t remembered anything more than thirteen years ago, I got fished outta the freezing river by some rock trolls and saved from hypothermia.” He says. “I take it- you’re my twin though.” He steps closer to her, lifting a hand for her to shake. Her whole body shakes and then she’s leaping through the air to wrap her arms over his shoulders. It feels right in a way he can’t explain, like he’s a puzzle piece that slides into place next to the right one. All of his edges soften and his arms wrap around her back to fit perfectly. 

Brian still sitting on the ice has a similar experience, he just stares at Ren as she breathes in his lap. “Your hair.” He says quietly, scooping up part of her bob. It falls through his fingers, the stark cold white of his own hair. 

“We match now.” She says quietly back.

“Ren I’m sorry for everything I said- for everything I did.” 

“I accept your apology. And I’m sorry for pushing you like I did.”

“We can fix this. Together.” He looks up, seeing the storm clouds still swirling slowly in the sky. And slowly, they start to part. “Let’s get everyone back to the castle.” Brian says, waving the other pair over. Then, it’s an easy pillar lift to get them back on ground level. More than a few people approach with weapons drawn, but injured Ren is more than enough to get them at least to a resting room. 

The storm doesn’t immediately disperse and summer doesn’t return that day. The temperatures slowly starts to rise, yes, but Brian still doesn’t know what to do. He pitters around the castle, apologizing to families and nobles, he changes clothes and personalizes them. Ren is on bed rest for a few days, Lup and Magnus introduce themselves to him. Brian finds Taako the most interesting and fun to be around. 

Eventually after two days Ren is up and moving around, she sits with him out in the courtyard on the lip of the newly thawed fountain. They talk about their feelings, about their parents, about what they want to do. And as they do, summer returns. Ren confesses her worry and Brian admits his loneliness. The magic isn’t suffocating, it isn’t something to release and forget like bloodletting. It’s just a part of him. And Ren helps him practice, refine it to keeping drinks cold and creating statues. Taako takes offense when he makes ice cubes in his drink, but Magnus adores it. (“He’ll put me out of a job!” “Yeah but I’m thirsty  _ now! _ ”) On the third day, he and the small group of friends go out to what remains of the drawbridge and Brian takes a deep breath. The magic moves in waves, he pushes and pulls with it before raising his hands and sending a wave through the entire kingdom. The snow melts from the streets and evaporates, the ice and icicles disappear, the sun shines bright and the clouds go white and fluffy. 

There’s a round of raucous applause as everyone begins shedding their winter layers, hands are shook and shoulders clapped as Brian smiles up at the blue sky.

“Good work Brian,” Ren smiles at him. “Let’s get changed and have some fun!” 

Everyone returns to the courtyard and more than a few commoners and nobles follow them out, also cheering. Brian sits on the fountain lip and smiles up at the sky. Ren returns after a few moments, a yellow sundress and white headband on. Her dress is patterned, and her headband has an applique. Sunflowers.

“You wanna skate?” She asks, lifting a very nice pair of ice skates. 

“You know how to skate?” He asks, standing and folding his arms.

“I probably ain’t better than you, but I like t’think I’m good.” She smiles, sitting to pull them on. She sets her mary janes on the fountain lip and Brian calls out.

“Watch out! Rink incoming!” And he leans down, spreading ice from his feet onto the stone in a perfectly smooth circle. 

“You’re getting better at that.” Ren says, standing. 

“I did build an entire castle.”

“Solely for the drama, this is nice in my kinda way.” She knocks his shoulder and he laughs. “Come on, show me what you got.”

“I’m surprised you know how to skate,” He says, kicking off. It’s not really skating, he’s just balanced and in tune with the ice.

“Sometimes I’d catch a peek of you out my window.” She says, following after him. “Thought maybe we could skate together someday.”

“Well, it’s someday.” He nods, curving around the fountain and picking up speed. Ren laughs as she turns after him loud and unabashed, and it’s the best sound Brian’s heard in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if you enjoyed, please PLEASE leave a comment! It really does make a difference!
> 
> Catch me on tumblr @MWritesSometimes for updates, snippets, and snacks!


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